kicad:footprint_management
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kicad:footprint_management [2011/12/09 10:29] – created -- converted from markdown (incomplete) mithat | kicad:footprint_management [2016/04/20 15:28] – [KiCad Footprint Management] mithat | ||
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====== KiCad Footprint Management ====== | ====== KiCad Footprint Management ====== | ||
+ | <WRAP center round important 60%> | ||
+ | The stuff here was written for versions of KiCad preceding 4.0. The latest versions of KiCad have introduced new library management features, rendering some of what follows obsolete. | ||
+ | </ | ||
===== Footprints, modules, libraries ===== | ===== Footprints, modules, libraries ===== | ||
Line 5: | Line 8: | ||
KiCad places footprints into **footprint libraries**. Footprint libraries use the '' | KiCad places footprints into **footprint libraries**. Footprint libraries use the '' | ||
- | Note that KiCad uses the term " | + | <WRAP center round tip 60%> |
+ | KiCad uses the term " | ||
+ | </ | ||
+ | |||
+ | <WRAP center round tip 60%> | ||
+ | There are two kinds of libraries in KiCad: **footprint libraries**, | ||
+ | </ | ||
+ | |||
+ | Individual footprints can be stored in '' | ||
===== System footprint libraries ===== | ===== System footprint libraries ===== | ||
- | KiCad ships with a large set of predefined | + | KiCad ships with a large set of predefined footprint libraries. The locations of these footprint libraries will depend on your operating system, but they are typically installed in a system level (rather than user level) subdirectory. PCBnew and CVpcb by default |
===== Third-party footprint libraries ===== | ===== Third-party footprint libraries ===== | ||
- | Third-party KiCad footprint libraries are available from many sources.((A good source of additional libraries is http:// | + | Third-party KiCad footprint libraries are available from many sources.((Examples include http:// |
==== Adding a third-party footprint library to a project ==== | ==== Adding a third-party footprint library to a project ==== | ||
- | To use a third-party footprint library in your project, you must first make the library available to the project.((There is probably a way to configure KiCad to include access to additional libraries in new projects by default. I have yet to learn how to do it.)) The procedure is as follows: | + | To use a third-party footprint library in your project, you must first make the library available to the project.((There is probably a way to configure KiCad to include access to additional libraries in new projects by default, but I have not yet looked into this.)) The procedure is as follows: |
- Place the '' | - Place the '' | ||
- Open your project. | - Open your project. | ||
- | - Inside CVpcb, select | + | - Inside CVpcb, select |
- | - Use the top part of the resulting dialog to _Add_ or _Insert_ | + | - Use the top part of the resulting dialog to // |
- Click " | - Click " | ||
- | - You will be prompted to apply the changes to the current project' | + | - You will be prompted to apply the changes to the current project' |
You should now be able to access the third-party library' | You should now be able to access the third-party library' | ||
Line 28: | Line 39: | ||
==== Adding individual third-party footprints to system and third-party libraries ==== | ==== Adding individual third-party footprints to system and third-party libraries ==== | ||
- | In addition to distributing collections of footprints in libraries (stored in '' | + | In addition to distributing collections of footprints in libraries (stored in '' |
+ | |||
+ | You should add new footprints only to user footprint libraries. See [[#User footprint libraries]] and [[#Adding existing footprints to an existing user library]] below. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <WRAP center round important 60%> | ||
+ | **Even though you can import footprints into system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.** | ||
- | //**Even though you can import footprints into system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**// | + | This is because when you update KiCad, there is a good chance that the system libraries will be overwritten, |
+ | </ | ||
- | Instead, you should add new footprints to personal | + | ===== User footprint libraries |
+ | While footprints contained in predefined system and third-party | ||
- | ===== Personal footprint libraries ===== | + | For creating new footprints and for making changes to footprints in system |
- | While footprints | + | |
- | It is highly recommended that you use only libraries you have created yourself -- what we will call _personal libraries_ -- for creating new footprints and for making changes to footprints in system | + | <WRAP center round important 60%> |
+ | **Even though | ||
- | //**Even though you can create/ | + | This is because when you update KiCad, there is a good chance that the system libraries will be overwritten, |
+ | </ | ||
==== The Module Editor ==== | ==== The Module Editor ==== | ||
Line 45: | Line 64: | ||
- Open a project and open PCBnew. | - Open a project and open PCBnew. | ||
- | - Click the _Open module | + | - Click the // |
Unless stated otherwise, the processes described below all happen in the Module Editor. The processes below do not exhaustively describe all of the functionality in the Module Editor; rather they describe what I consider to be the most important. | Unless stated otherwise, the processes described below all happen in the Module Editor. The processes below do not exhaustively describe all of the functionality in the Module Editor; rather they describe what I consider to be the most important. | ||
- | ==== Creating a new personal | + | ==== Creating a new user library ==== |
As far as I can tell, there is no GUI-driven way to create a new and empty library. To create a new library you must save a footprint into it. | As far as I can tell, there is no GUI-driven way to create a new and empty library. To create a new library you must save a footprint into it. | ||
- | ==== Creating a new footprint in a new personal | + | ==== Creating a new footprint in a new user library ==== |
The basics of adding a new footprint to a new library is summarized below: | The basics of adding a new footprint to a new library is summarized below: | ||
- | - In the Module Editor, click on the _New Module_ | + | - In the Module Editor, click on the //New Module// |
- In the dialog that appears, enter the name that you will use to identify the footprint.((The Module Editor refers to this as the " | - In the dialog that appears, enter the name that you will use to identify the footprint.((The Module Editor refers to this as the " | ||
- | - Use the _Add pads_ icon on the right toolbar to add, format, and size the footprint' | + | - Use the //Add pads// |
- | - When you are finished creating the new footprint, click the _Create | + | - When you are finished creating the new footprint, click the // |
The new library will //not// be available to your project by default. To make the new library available to your project, follow the process described in " | The new library will //not// be available to your project by default. To make the new library available to your project, follow the process described in " | ||
- | === Creating a new footprint in an existing | + | === Creating a new footprint in an existing |
- | First, make sure that the library to which you want to add the new footprint is available to the project. Then, the process is the same as " | + | First, make sure that the library to which you want to add the new footprint is available to the project. Then, the process is the same as " |
- | - Click the _Select | + | - Click the // |
- | - Click the _Save Module in working | + | - Click the // |
- | (Note: You can actually | + | (Note: You can actually |
- | === Copying an existing footprint to an existing | + | === Copying an existing footprint to an existing |
First, make sure both the footprint' | First, make sure both the footprint' | ||
- | - Click the _Select | + | - Click the // |
- | - Click the _Load module from lib_ icon in the top toolbar and in the resulting dialog click the "List all" button (to be safe) and select the footprint you want to copy from the presented list. (The list should only contain footprints defined in the " | + | - Click the // |
- | - To save the footprint into the destination library, first click the _Select | + | - To save the footprint into the destination library, first click the // |
- | Alternately, | + | Alternately, |
=== Editing an existing footprint === | === Editing an existing footprint === | ||
First, make sure that the library that contains the footprint you want to edit is available to the project. If you will be saving the edited footprint into a different library, then that must be available to your project as well. To open a footprint for editing: | First, make sure that the library that contains the footprint you want to edit is available to the project. If you will be saving the edited footprint into a different library, then that must be available to your project as well. To open a footprint for editing: | ||
- | - Click the _Select | + | - Click the // |
- | - Click the _Load module from lib_ icon in the top toolbar and in the resulting dialog click the "List all" button (to be safe) and select the footprint you want to edit from the presented list. (The list should only contain footprints defined in the " | + | - Click the // |
- Edit the footprint as needed. | - Edit the footprint as needed. | ||
- | - To save edits back to the original library, click the _Save Module in working | + | - To save edits back to the original library, click the // |
- | _Note that you are discouraged from making changes to system and third-party libraries. You should save changes to personal | + | // |
=== Exporting footprints === | === Exporting footprints === | ||
- | Exporting a footprint creates a file with an '' | + | Exporting a footprint creates a file with an '' |
To export a footprint, | To export a footprint, | ||
- | - Click the _Select | + | - Click the // |
- | - Click the _Load module from lib_ icon in the top toolbar and in the resulting dialog click the "List all" button and select the footprint you want to edit from the presented list. (The list should only contain footprints defined in the " | + | - Click the // |
- | - Click the _export module_ | + | - Click the //export module// |
=== Importing footprints === | === Importing footprints === | ||
Individual footprints described in '' | Individual footprints described in '' | ||
- | To import a footprint, click on the _import module_ | + | To import a footprint, click on the //import module// |
- | To save the imported footprint into a library, first click the _Select | + | To save the imported footprint into a library, first click the // |
To import a footprint: | To import a footprint: | ||
- | - Click on the _import module_ | + | - Click on the //import module// |
- | - Click the _Select | + | - Click the // |
- | - Click the _Save Module in working | + | - Click the // |
===== Additional resources ===== | ===== Additional resources ===== |
kicad/footprint_management.txt · Last modified: 2018/09/09 14:12 by mithat