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4 KiCad Workflow This section presents a high-level overview of the typical KiCad workflow. Note that KiCad is a flexible software system, and there are other ways of working that are not described here. For more information about each of the steps described in this section, please see the later chapters in this manual. NOTE A number of tutorials and guided lessons in using KiCad have been created by community members. These resources can be a good way to learn KiCad for some new users. See the Further Reading section at the end of this chapter for more information. Basic Terminology KiCad uses a number of terms that are fairly standard in the area of electronics design automation (EDA) software, and some that are more specific to KiCad. This section lists some of the most common terms used throughout KiCad's documentation and user interface. Other terms that are more specific to a certain part of the KiCad workflow are defined later in this manual. A schematic is a collection of one or more pages (sheets) of circuit schematic drawings. Each KiCad schematic file represents a single sheet. A hierarchical schematic is a schematic consisting of multiple pages nested inside each other. KiCad supports hierarchical schematics, but there must be a single root sheet at the top of the hierarchy. Sheets within a hierarchy (other than the root sheet) may be used more than once, for example to create repeated copies of a subcircuit. A symbol is a circuit element that can be placed on a schematic. Symbols can represent physical electrical components, such as a resistor or microcontroller, or non-physical concepts such as a power or ground rail. Symbols have pins which serve as the connection points that can be wired to each other in a schematic. For physical components, each pin corresponds to a distinct physical connection on the component (for example, a resistor symbol will have two pins, one for each terminal of the resistor). Symbols are stored in symbol libraries so they can be used in many schematics. A netlist is a representation of a schematic that is used to convey information to another program. There are many netlist formats used by various EDA programs, and KiCad has its own netlist format that is used internally to pass information back and forth between the schematic and PCB editors. The netlist contains (among other things) all the information about which pins connect to each other, and what name should be given to each net, or set of connected pins. Netlists can be written to a netlist file, but in modern versions of KiCad, this is not necessary as part of the normal workflow. A printed circuit board, or PCB, is a design document that represents the physical implementation of a schematic (or technically, a netlist). Each KiCad board file refers to a single PCB design. There is no official support for creating arrays or panels of PCBs within KiCad, although some community-created add-ons provide this functionality. A footprint is a circuit element that can be placed on a PCB. Footprints often represent physical electrical components, but can also be used as a library of design elements (silkscreen logos, copper antennas and coils, etc.). Footprints can have pads which represent copper areas that are electrically-connected. The netlist will associate symbol pins with footprint pads.