Schematic done, it’s time to get those components laid out – but…you want to make sure you lay them out in a space that’s going to fit the enclouse it’s going in right? Well – you can draw it out in PCBNew (see our guide to this here) – or if you want to add some more complicated / fancy shapes – you’re going to be looking at importing a DXF file.
For this tutorial we created our DXF file using Adobe Illustrator (which you can grab a free 30 trial here – no, we’re not being paid!) but you can create your DXF using any program that will export in DXF format – a lot of people also use InkScape which is free!
Create your board shape – the example below is for a Hammond 1590B enclosure – we wanted the board to have rounded corners (sharp PCB corners can cut you hands easily!) and we also added an area to be used for a logo at the top. Notice the width and height, this will fit nicely in the enclousure and still give you a little room.
Now you’re ready to export your file, this is simple in Illustrator (v24.3):
File > Export > Export As…
Select .DXF as the format, choose your folder and click save – this will present you with an options screen – just make sure you use the settings below (these have yet to fail us!)
Importing your .DXF file
With PCBNew open, make sure you have the Edge Cuts layer selected:
Now select: File > Import > Import graphics…
On the next screen, select your .DXF file using the browser, then ensure your settings match the below then click OK:
If all has worked – your DXF design will now be inserted onto the Edge Cuts layer and you can begin to place your components on your board! Remeber to check out our tutorial on changing track widths before you begin!
If you want to add some nice custom graphics to your PCB to really make it stand out – we’ve got you covered in this article from the KiCad Series – Importing Graphics using Bitmap to Component Convertor.
