KiCAD native format accepted as order data
Even if you put a lot of work in making sure your board is designed using the correct tools and the correct rules, it is possible that the data you send to us is not as expected.
When you export data from your CAD system to an external format (e.g. Gerber or Excellon) it is possible that some information gets lost. There are ongoing improvements to the Gerber X2 format to reduce this information loss as much as possible, but for some CAD systems we try to read in the native CAD format, where all the required information is available.
We were already doing this for Eagle BRD files, but now we also support native KiCad files. This way of working gives you a number of clear advantages:
- Each layer is perfectly identified. No confusion can arise due to cryptic layer names.
- The data can be read with the correct interpretation. E.g. copper pads are identified as pads, via drills are treated as vias.
- Component placement information (CPL) can be extracted from the CAD data. No need to supply separate CPL files anymore to load in our new PCB Assembly Visualizer.