To be fair, in KiCad 5, the “Update PCB from Schematic” button did exist, under the Tools menu. But in KiCad 6, the transition to a netlist file-less workflow is complete.
Manually exporting the net list was never a thing with KiCad 5 either. I cannot remember ever having to do it. I always used "Update PCB from Schematic".
Kicad 6? Chrome is already up to version 88 and Firefox 84, Kicad really needs to catch up.
On a more serious note: it looks like a lot of interface changes have occurred, I'll have to see how they feel in-person. I really hope eeschema's background colour hasn't changed to grey as the screenshots suggest.
Thinkfat is right about the update PCB from schematic stuff:QuoteTo be fair, in KiCad 5, the “Update PCB from Schematic” button did exist, under the Tools menu. But in KiCad 6, the transition to a netlist file-less workflow is complete.
What was incomplete about it previously? It works fine in 5.1.8 and it's on the toolbar, not just hidden in a menu. Maybe an error/oversight in this article (it's a really big article)?
On a more serious note: it looks like a lot of interface changes have occurred, I'll have to see how they feel in-person. I really hope eeschema's background colour hasn't changed to grey as the screenshots suggest.
It doesn't look like they put effort into simplifying the libraries - it took me a while to figure it all out but is way more convoluted than it needs to be. Especially if you want to distribute a kicad design. There really needs to be a button that packages up all the lib elements for distribution. Something that Eagle does automatically since like 2005. I find missing symbols and footprints in all sorts of Kicad files out there. Annoying to have to chase them down, if you even can. Still haven't found the Pico's USB connector symbol.
On a more serious note: it looks like a lot of interface changes have occurred, I'll have to see how they feel in-person. I really hope eeschema's background colour hasn't changed to grey as the screenshots suggest.
I would assume it's configurable. The default in the older versions is blinding white, I always change it to black first thing after installing, I'd be shocked (and really annoyed) if they took away the ability to customize colors.
This is very good news. I hope in the future when the software is as mature as other established open source software, they would offer a Long Term Support (LTS) version.
My main concern is, whether the new 6th version of KiCAD can:
a) SELECT MULTIPLE OBJECTS and CHANGE a COMMON PROPERTY (like a text size, via diameter, trace width, etc.). Without this, it is still a toy PCB CAD. Having to click hundreds of objects one by one, making 5 clicks or so to change a trace width or whatever, is beyond annoying.
b) MAKE CURVED TRACES. My first task in KiCAD at my former employer was to draw a curved flex-PCB and it was almost an impossible job to do. I needed to hack around it by drawing the stuff in a graphical editor, export in DXF, import in some other (not Cu, mind you) layer and then manually switch the imported lines to a F.Cu / B.Cu layer piece by piece, arc by arc. God I hated the KiCAD since!
c) So does it finally allow to import DXF into a copper layer? Someone ingenious decided that the import DXF dialog does not contain a copper layer as a selection.
d) Allow a graphical object to become an electrical one too. Like for example, how is one supposed to connect a PCB antenna pattern (or any other distributed element structure) to an electrical net? Even if you manage to go through b and c steps above, you still can not connect it electrically and need to use hacks.
e) Allow to switch the annoying quadrant IV operation into a Quadrant I, such as almost all CADs use. Yes, I am talking you, the flipped Y axis.
These are some of the stuff why I have not considered using the KiCAD so far personally, but hell I would like to!
So do you know if any of the stuff above got any improvement or at least an option is available?
My main concern is, whether the new 6th version of KiCAD can:
d) Allow a graphical object to become an electrical one too. Like for example, how is one supposed to connect a PCB antenna pattern (or any other distributed element structure) to an electrical net? Even if you manage to go through b and c steps above, you still can not connect it electrically and need to use hacks.
So do you know if any of the stuff above got any improvement or at least an option is available?
d) no. while you can draw e.g. arcs now on a copper layer (and import graphics items into copper layers), you cannot assign a net to them. you can connect traces, but it might fail DRC then. The items are recognized as obstacles by the interactive router, though.
My main concern is, whether the new 6th version of KiCAD can:
a) SELECT MULTIPLE OBJECTS and CHANGE a COMMON PROPERTY (like a text size, via diameter, trace width, etc.). Without this, it is still a toy PCB CAD. Having to click hundreds of objects one by one, making 5 clicks or so to change a trace width or whatever, is beyond annoying.
b) MAKE CURVED TRACES. My first task in KiCAD at my former employer was to draw a curved flex-PCB and it was almost an impossible job to do. I needed to hack around it by drawing the stuff in a graphical editor, export in DXF, import in some other (not Cu, mind you) layer and then manually switch the imported lines to a F.Cu / B.Cu layer piece by piece, arc by arc. God I hated the KiCAD since!
c) So does it finally allow to import DXF into a copper layer? Someone ingenious decided that the import DXF dialog does not contain a copper layer as a selection.
d) Allow a graphical object to become an electrical one too. Like for example, how is one supposed to connect a PCB antenna pattern (or any other distributed element structure) to an electrical net? Even if you manage to go through b and c steps above, you still can not connect it electrically and need to use hacks.
e) Allow to switch the annoying quadrant IV operation into a Quadrant I, such as almost all CADs use. Yes, I am talking you, the flipped Y axis.
These are some of the stuff why I have not considered using the KiCAD so far personally, but hell I would like to!
So do you know if any of the stuff above got any improvement or at least an option is available?
a) yes, but only for traces (edit: also vias), it doesn't seem to work for text items.
b) yes, curved traces are available now.
c) yes
d) no. while you can draw e.g. arcs now on a copper layer (and import graphics items into copper layers), you cannot assign a net to them. you can connect traces, but it might fail DRC then. The items are recognized as obstacles by the interactive router, though.
e) yes
What I'm still missing is via fences. It's the primary reason I didn't yet ditch KiCAD 5.
Interesting new features! However, I hope the limited naming scheme for bus signals will be changed into a more practical one. The current bus[0..n] is quite cumbersome in most cases. No way to create an SPI bus with comprehensible signal names, for example.
Well, it does not work as easy as you say. Try it!
If you for example need to connect the pad to a ground pour, it won't work. The ground pour will avoid filling to it due to seeing the graphical line at/next to the pad as an obstacle. Same with the interactive router. You will be fighting with it to get it connected.
Even if you create it as a footprint. You can try for example the 2.4 GHz IFA PCB antenna, that is included somewhere in the KiCAD libs.