Software program engineer Thea Flowers has developed a software designed to make it simpler to share your KiCad {hardware} initiatives — by offering a browser-based interface for viewing the recordsdata, dubbed KiCanvas.
“KiCanvas is early alpha however I really feel it is time to let it out into the world for all of you to check out and break,” Flowers explains. “Presently, KiCanvas features as a stand-alone internet software that may view recordsdata saved on GitHub — offering a simple approach to share your designs with others. Nevertheless, that is only the start of my plans for this mission.”
The mission took place when Flowers was on the lookout for a approach to share KiCad schematics in articles with out simply dumping screenshots, growing a Canvas-based renderer which allowed for merely interactive embedded schematics. “People actually preferred the interactive schematics,” Flowers explains. “This bought me pondering – why is not there a browser primarily based viewer for KiCad recordsdata? The closest factor now we have is InteractiveHtmlBom nevertheless it solely handles boards and requires a KiCad plugin to generate the recordsdata forward of time. I needed a really seamless expertise – level it at a KiCad file and it will present it.”
That is the place KiCanvas is available in. Written in TypeScript with Canvas and WebGL, KiCanvas is ready to parse and show KiCad recordsdata immediately in-browser with out having to load KiCad itself — providing you with an interactive view into schematics, PCB designs, and total initiatives. The viewer consists of panning and zooming, the flexibility to pick out and examine symbols and footprints, in addition to to pick out board layers and toggle their visibility — although, on the time of writing, solely KiCad 6 recordsdata could possibly be absolutely rendered.
The software permits for a number of views, panning, zooming, and interplay, with extra options deliberate. (📷: Thea Flowers)
“I hope KiCanvas can ultimately develop into one thing helpful to your entire Open {Hardware} group,” says Flowers. “I am so enthusiastic about the way forward for this mission — it hasn’t even reached its ultimate kind! This can be a mission I am actually creating for the group. It can all the time be free and open supply. I am grateful for everybody who’s proven pleasure, supplied suggestions, and supported me in varied methods.”
KiCanvas is offered to attempt on its web site now, and might load native KiCad recordsdata or these saved on GitHub; its supply code is offered on GitHub below the permissive MIT license.
