A Cross Platform and Open Source Electronics Design Automation Suite

KiCad for Mac

KiCad for Mac

  -  1.5 GB  -  Open Source
  • Latest Version

    KiCad 8.0.3 LATEST

  • Review by

    Sophia Jones

  • Operating System

    macOS 10.15 Catalina or later

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    KiCad Team / External Link

  • Filename

    kicad-unified-universal-8.0.3.dmg

KiCad for Mac is an open-source software suite for Electronic Design Automation (EDA). The programs handle Schematic Capture and PCB Layout with Gerber output. The suite runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and is licensed under GNU GPL v3. The first release date was in 1992 by its original author, Jean-Pierre Charras, but is now currently under development by the KiCad Developers Team.

Schematic Capture
With the schematic editor, you can create your design without limit; there are no paywalls to unlock features. An official library for schematic symbols and a built-in schematic symbol editor help you get started quickly with your designs. Schematic capture is efficient, with all the tools you can expect for such a task. The interface focuses on productivity. There are no complexity limits, as large designs can be divided into hierarchical subsheets. Various export options are available (PDF, SVG, HPGL, Postscript).

PCB Layout
Make professional PCB layouts with up to 32 copper layers. KiCad for macOS now has a push and shove router which is capable of routing differential pairs and interactively tuning trace lengths. This modern tool will help you layout your board faster. As you draw your track, it pushes forward traces that are in the way. If that is not possible, your track will be rerouted around obstacles. The push and shove router will make sure that your DRC constraints are respected.

3D Viewer
Ki Cad for macOS includes a 3D viewer that you can use to inspect your design in an interactive canvas. You can rotate and pan around to inspect details that are difficult to inspect on a 2D view. Multiple rendering options allow you to modify the aesthetic appearance of the board or to hide and show features for easier inspection. When laying out your PCB, you can instantly inspect your design in an interactive 3D view. Rotate and pan around to inspect details easier than with a 2D display.

Features and Highlights
  • Electrical Rules Check
  • Export Netlists
  • Bill Of Materials
  • Integrated libraries
  • Push and shove router
  • Length tuning
  • Footprint Editor (GAL)
Also Available: Download KiCad for Windows

  • KiCad 8.0.3 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

    KiCad 8.0.3 Screenshot 1
  • KiCad 8.0.3 Screenshot 2
  • KiCad 8.0.3 Screenshot 3
  • KiCad 8.0.3 Screenshot 4
  • KiCad 8.0.3 Screenshot 5

What's new in this version:

General:
- Property grid navigation improvements
- Make sure color settings are saved when modified
- Improve update notice dialog tooltip
- Add optional reporting of non-KiCad design import issues
- Add OpenGL info to version information.
- Fix a 100% CPU core usage is some editing cases
- Fix issues with non-kicad fonts
- Handle font when reading render cache

Schematic Editor:
- Improve symbol instance data file save ordering
- Do not show click to start wire cursor for hidden pins
- Internationalize pin information when language changes
- Update status bar and properties panel after edit field properties dialog is dismissed
- Prevent symbol browser from deselecting currently active item
- Use correct value field text when importing Eagle schematic symbols
- Make pin helpers available for hierarchical sheet pins
- Support orthoganol dragging labels of sheet pins.
- Import EasyEDA symbol meta data
- Fix crash when loading symbols from database library
- Fix renaming sheet check
- Fill entire table if cache is empty when loading one part from database library
- Automatically save new hierarchical sheets
- Remember BOM export file name per project
- Fix editing line angle rotation
- Use consistent sorting for footprint libraries in footprint assignment tool
- Fix incorrect label orientation when the symbol is rotated
- Fix crash when editing text properties via properties panel
- Fix selection of items inside filled shapes.
- Make 'note' backgrounds translucent on selection.

Spice Simulator:
- Fix internal simulation errors when using some IBIS models
- Send project path to ngspice for code model input files
- Don’t add duplicate simulation fields
- Update signals and measurements when netlist might have changed
- Use display titles for axes in CSV output
- Allow setting field size with property manager.
- Fix incorrect netlist for uniform random voltage sources
- Allow ".ends" command to be preceeded by whitespace
- Support multiple brace-expressions for coupled multi-conductor line model syntax
- Make IBIS errors visible and more obvious

Symbol Editor:
- Apply power filter to Altium symbol libraries
- Select pin when clicking on electrical type text
- Fix crash when canceling footprint library table dialog and the footprint library file is missing

Board Editor:
- Pad thermal spoke angle is 90 degrees by default when importing Altium PCB.
- Do not require second mouse click to reflect changes after updating custom footprint
- Allow no-net teardrops on no-net pads with no-net tracks
- Prevent hidden shapes from being selected
- Support legacy length tuning settings workflow
- Properly handle DNP and exclude from board components in net list
- Do no generate DRC warning on "exclude from position file" property
- Fix incorrect size of widgets when a very long field name exists in IPC-2581 export dialog
- Fix version 7 imported board hidden description field positions
- Re-allow moving footprint text
- Keep footprint chooser on top of KiCad but not system
- Use StandardPrimitive library for vias when exporting IPC-2581
- DRC via diameter calculation disregards PCB pad overrides and throws annular width error
- Fix pasting footprint references
- Improve consistency of free via ambiguity tests
- Handle orientation correctly when pasting footprint items
- Get rid of relative position in pad properties dialog
- Correctly mirror footprint fields on load
- Fix wrong file name for placement files when opening another project
- Show disambiguated net name when needed
- Fix false annular ring width DRC test failure
- Fix false DRC errors for some rounded pad corners on unmodified footprints
- Add mirrored column to fields grid table
- Expose violation severity for co-located holes
- Fix crash with some 3D models
- Do not faile opening files with rotated text boxes
- Test library identifiers in "intersectsCourtyard" and "insideCourtyard" custom rules
- Avoid crash if zone has no fill when importing Altium board
- Fix broken hit test for arcs in via placer
- Fix crash when dragging overlapping vias
- Fix crash after undoing edits after reducing number of layers in board stackup
- Add missing holes from STEP export with circular PCB outline
- Fix broken and/or disconnected PNS router traces in tight areas
- Avoid snapping to edge cuts when routing.
- Vertically center the color swatch in grid layer selector.
- Fix variable expansion issue when exporting STEP of a modified board file
- Reset zone offsets when exporting footprints
- Fix context menu when moving.
- Enable moving of all footprint text
- Avoids rounding errors flagging connections too small by nanometers in DRC connection width check.
- Fix very tall plot dialog on GTK

Footprint Editor:
- Allow specifying field layer in footprint properties
- Don’t modify circle radius when editing center point
- Prevent always writing the footprint field on save

3D Viewer:
- Fix orientations of some footprint STEP models
- Fix missing parts in STEP models
- Fix difference between STEP export and 3D view with some STEP models

Gerber Viewer:
- Force "always hide all layers but active" update when using hotkey

Worksheet Editor:
- Fix broken field text editors

Command Line Interface:
- Honour LAYER, SHEETNAME and SHEETPATH variable overrides
- Center symbol SVG export

PCB Calculator:
- Correctly handle language changes

Windows:
- Fix win32 proxy parsing when the old IE options for scheme based configuration was set