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KiCad 7 is coming! (and fast!!)

baldengineer

kicad 6.99 with version crossed-out and 7.0 added lol

Post from the KiCad Blog: Features Coming to KiCad 7

One of the reasons I recommend KiCad to anyone who wants to make more than one PCB (in their life) is because of how fast it is developing. Compared to any other options, each major release has brought significant functionality AND usability to the tool. Starting with version 5, the minor updates became extremely frequent. With version 6, there was a promise to shorten the major release cycle. And based on the minor release in the 6.0 branch, the team struck a strong balance between fixing bugs and adding quality-of-life improvements. They call it “cherry picking” when adding a feature from the 6.99 (or pre-7.0) branch.

That promise of more frequent major releases appears to be coming true.

  • KiCad 4: November 2015
  • KiCad 5: August 2018
  • KiCad 6: December 2021
  • KiCad 7: January 2023 (est)

This announcement lists some new features and their contributors in KiCad 7.0’s upcoming release. Plus, the announcement hints that the release could be as early as January 2023. Regardless, my bet would be a Q1 release. And oh boy. There are so many things in this update I cannot wait to start using.

I am looking forward to the plugin manager having a (more?) robust update capability, the command line interface (kicad-cli), auto-complete routes (in PCB), and the properties panel (in PCB). Plus, many other minor features.

I’m curious about the database integration that is mentioned in this article. It sounds like the hooks to access an inventory management system. But I’m not sure how adaptable it will be.

Check the announcement post for a complete list and some demos!

Is anyone else watching the KiCad 7 development? What are you excited to see? Or even what do you wish they would work on next?

  • I have been following along with the development pf the KiCad for quite some time, as I have for a long time wanted a free and 'living' PCB development environment to replace my licensed copy of Eagle.  It is good to see a promised commitment  to more frequent releases of KiCad.  I will keep sitting on the fence for a while as no matter how much I complain about some of the clunky features of Eagle it is still the fastest way for me to design PCBs (I designed more that 15 PCB this year).

  • in reply to genebren

    Yeah, I dragged my feet for a very long time to make the switch. Back in 2016, I committed to doing at least three designs in KiCad. Until then, I had probably started 5 or 6 PCBs, got frustrated, and then went back to EAGLE. However, I had been creating schematics using KiCad Schematic for documentation. So, when I made that commitment, I was at least familiar with eeschema and its hotkeys. (Thankfully with v6 those hotkeys are shared better between the two.)

    As I recall, all three were relatively simple designs. Since then, I haven't looked back.

    I looked at EAGLE 9 when it came out and just shrugged. It couldn't really find anything significantly different than EAGLE 6 other than the re-drawn icons.

  • in reply to baldengineer

    I froze my Eagle License at 7.6.0 which was prior to their move to yearly subscription licensing.  I have been a licensed user since 4.09, having somewhat regularly updating the license as I needed new features or support.  Now I am feeling the need to move on to something else.

  • in reply to genebren

    Do IT!

    2023 Goal: Make 3 PCBs in KiCad. Slight smile

  •  sums it up for me too. I think it is absolutely great that KiCad is improving and I might even give it another try, but I will continue to use my old Eagle license as long as Eagle is faster. It wasn't a great year for PCBs but I think I designed 11 PCBs this year.

  • I'm mainly looking forward to this (Properties Panel). 

    It's been a limitation that I couldn't simultaneously edit certain things. Now, this will speed it up! 

    image

    The Background Bitmaps will likely delight users who want to make PCB art! I think it might also be useful for quickly making one-off plug-on boards or PCB front panels where absolute precision isn't needed (most connectors will allow for some misalignment). 

    image

  • in reply to shabaz

    OH! I forgot about the background bitmaps.

    I'm hoping that will help in reverse engineering existing PCBs.

    (Well, at least double-layer boards.)

  • I'm still on 5 and haven't made the jump to 6 yet ... the conveniences sound very nice to have, but for most of my simple project, the fact that 5 just seems to do the job gives me little reason to change just yet.

    Still great to hear that there will be more features to see in the open-source world ... too bad my workplace insists on Altium.

    - Gough

  • in reply to dougw

    I think KiCad will never be as speedy as EAGLE for quickly churning out schematic and PCB entry work to the extent that EAGLE operates. Plus, EAGLE avoids some modern UI and other conventions, so those familiar with its operation will be faster at using it.

    However, there is time gained with KiCad in other ways. I get the impression most KiCad operations are based on a philosophy of trying to reduce the chance for error as early as possible, rather than wait for later error checks. For instance, it has sensible ways of doing shaped pads for modern awkward SMD parts, which in turn reduces reported design errors, so less time spent checking things perhaps. Also, the routing is really neat - I don't wish to use an autorouter, but the manual routing will automatically find paths and avoid other traces and so on, in ways that old EAGLE (I don't know about recent EAGLE) couldn't.

    Also, the 3D viewer means less chance to make a mistake on the underside of the board! Previously I needed to load the Gerber files into a different tool, and although I still do, I can identify issues sooner and fix them immediately, because the 3D view can co-exist all the time you're working on PCB layout. With EAGLE I'd be generating Gerber files many times to improve things as much as I could.

    I believe if one is careful and doesn't make mistakes too often, then EAGLE is faster for those who are used to using EAGLE. But despite that, it's now more enjoyable producing boards with less stress with KiCad.

  • in reply to Gough Lui

    I appreciate your reasoning for evaluating the need to upgrade the software. I was lucky to have no KiCAD baggage when I started. I began at version six.