kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Tomasz Wlostowski <tomasz.wlostowski@xxxxxxx>]

Dear Kicaders,

We're happy to announce that a new version of the CERN's Interactive 
Router tool is available in the product branch of Kicad.

The new router's major features are:
- New router modes: highlight DRC violations mode and walk around mode.
- Improved push-and-shove algorithm, capable of solving more complex 
cases and shoving vias.
- Dragging vias, trace corners and segments.
- Undo/redo.
- Ratsnest support.
- Configuration dialog.
- R-click popup menu menu & hotkey support.
- Grid snapping.
- Snap to items can be disabled.
- Via size/drill/trace width changing while routing.
- Better redundant track (loop) removal.
- Support for rounded-rectangle pads.
- Lots of bug fixes.

In order to use it, just build the latest version of the product branch.

We've made a short video tutorial, available at http://youtu.be/CCG4daPvuVI.

The router documentation is temporarily available at 
http://orson.net.pl/pub/kicad/pns. It will soon be available in the 
official documentation package.

Below is the todo list for the nearest future:
- "Figure out what's best" mode: try to find balance between shoving and 
hugging.
- Better via plowing under BGAs.
- Fix some memory leaks and hunt down very rare stability issues 
(remember: Jesus saves!).
- Keep-out zones and board edges support.
- Fixing some rare cases where the router produces ugly topology or gets 
stuck.
- Auto-finish mode (auto-routing of the remaining part of the trace in 
simple topologies).
- Support for non-orthogonal pads (currently are replaced by circles).
- More intelligent layer switching (e.g. to a nearby pad/via).
- Support for blind/buried vias.
- Code documentation.

Enjoy,
Tom & Orson

PS. We are also planning to bring differential pairs and interactive 
length matching, the P&S code base is now stable enough to think about 
adding such features. We cannot promise any date, stay tuned.