Author Topic: Cutting filled zone into smaller ones in KiCad's PCB layout editor?  (Read 309 times)

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Offline NightMothTopic starter

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Hello all!

Hope it is correct place for my question.

Sorry, English is not my native language, also it looks that I'm trying to formulate this question
using incorrect technical thermins,  so I can't find answer by googling and on this forum.

My question is regarding drawing of filled zones in KiCad's PCB layout editor.

If I have some pads that belongs to same net, and their placement forms something like "islands" (pads grouped together and there is
no pads from other nets between them), I can connect such pads with filled zone.
But if geometry of such "islands" is complicated, it is very hard to edit form of such filled zone.

Is it possible in KiCad's PCB layout editor make something like this:
-First fill all layer with copper (<no net>), so there is one big filled area;
-Second somehow "cut-out" "islands" of pads of same net by drawing cut lines or "borders" of new smaller zones using mouse;
-Finally, assign net name for each of new smaller zones?

In other words: cut one big filled zone into smaller ones, instead of place many smaller zones one by one?

I found  "Add zone cut-off" tool, but it just cuts some geometric figure from filled zone, and I can't cut it into new smaller zones
with this tool.
 

Offline Zoli

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Re: Cutting filled zone into smaller ones in KiCad's PCB layout editor?
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2024, 04:13:06 pm »
Is under the "area rules"; Image1 shows the location on the toolbar(and implemented example) and Image2 shows the rule configuration.
 
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Offline Doctorandus_P

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Re: Cutting filled zone into smaller ones in KiCad's PCB layout editor?
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2024, 08:08:19 am »
You can create rule areas as Zoli suggest, and you  can also draw graphic items on the margin layer (There will be no zone drawing in those areas) but that does not cut a zone into multiple zones. It will still be one zone, connected to one net. You will have to draw a separate zone for each unique net you want to connect it too.
 
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Offline selcuk

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Re: Cutting filled zone into smaller ones in KiCad's PCB layout editor?
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2024, 09:33:18 am »
You can use keepouts to draw the unfilled areas between copper fills. Additionally, there is a "Zone priority level" property of copper pours. You can set a higher property for a particular zone and then it removes the lower priority zones under it.
 
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