kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Mitch Davis <mjd+launchpad.net@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, Sep 22, 2012 at 4:13 AM, Rick Walker <walker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Being able to put a precisely scalable bitmap generated from a
> photograph or a CAD drawing into the PCB editor allows for documenting
> and placing connectors, routes, and mounting holes with respect to the
> environment the board is being designed for.
>
> Another use for a 2d DXF or PNM overlay would be to allow easy reverse
> engineering for boards for which CAD files are missing.

Plus +1 here for this feature!  I need both use-cases :-)

For me it would be especially useful in the module editor, because
then making a new module from a datasheet would be sped up enormously.
 No more fiddly calculation of hole positions in spreadsheets and the
like, just grab a footprint image from the datasheet, size and place
it on screen in the module editor, then plonk the pad where the hole
is on the image.  Similarly for the silkscreen aspects of the
footprint.

Mitch.