KiCad tool suite overview in PCB Design - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - KiCad tool suite overview

Goal

Understand how the different tools in the KiCad suite help design printed circuit boards (PCBs) from start to finish.

Sample Data: KiCad Tools and Their Functions

Tool Name	Main Function	File Extension	Typical Use
Eeschema	Schematic capture	.sch	Draw circuit diagrams
Pcbnew	PCB layout editor	.kicad_pcb	Place components and route tracks
GerbView	Gerber file viewer	.gbr	Inspect manufacturing files
Bitmap2Component	Convert images to footprints	.kicad_mod	Create custom footprints
Footprint Editor	Footprint creation and editing	.kicad_mod	Design component footprints
3D Viewer	3D visualization of PCB	n/a	Check board appearance
CvPcb	Assign footprints to schematic symbols	n/a	Link schematic to PCB

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total number of KiCad tools listed (7)
• Bar Chart: Count of tools by main function category (Schematic, Layout, Viewer, Footprint)
• Table: Detailed tool list with name, function, file extension, and typical use
• Pie Chart: Distribution of file extensions used by tools

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
|      KPI Card        |      Bar Chart       |
|  (Total Tools: 7)    | (Tools by Function)  |
+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      Detailed Tool List Table                      |
|                          (All tools)                             |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                          Pie Chart                               |
|                  (File Extension Distribution)                  |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

User can select a main function category (e.g., 'Schematic') from the bar chart. This filter updates the detailed tool list table and the pie chart to show only tools in that category. The KPI card remains static showing total tools overall.

Self Check

If you filter the bar chart to show only 'Viewer' tools, which tools appear in the detailed list and pie chart?

Answer: GerbView and 3D Viewer appear in the table and pie chart.

Key Result

Dashboard shows KiCad tools by function, file type, and usage to understand the suite components.