KiCad import capabilities - what is plan A?

Asked by Michael Svetlik

My background, first.

Over the last years, I designed a bunch of EDA projects using light Eagle. After a system collapse and a new Kubuntu install, I decided to not again beg for that limited eagle software, but instead go to KiCad - which was a good choice, thanks and respect to the developers.
  But I didn't want to draw all the sheets and boards once more, so I looked around for a conversion tool. On github, I found one from Mr.Lachlan, but: eagle has died, I can't process ULP's any more. I took the code and analyzed the logic in it AFAP, then wrote the schematic converter in C. But here, I got stuck with some (maybe trivial) knowledge lack, i.e. 'What is a part? And, what is a unit?'. Hoping to find the answers in code (and with a little support from the wise men), I joined here.

Looking for issues related to import stuff, I fell over two articles:
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/kicad/+spec/export-import-expand-supported-files
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/kicad/+spec/eeschema-plugin
IMHO, they are quite similar, and Wayne Stambaugh reports good progress working on the latter.
  The question of imports was also discussed in - at least - this thread:
http://www.mail-archive.com/kicad-developers%40lists.launchpad.net/msg18921.html
where eagle .lbr's are focussed.

Now, I've converted a few board files from eagle to kicad using pcbnew, and it works fine. That means to me, the import & conversion code, partially, is already here. Today, I can convert an XML schematic to kicad .sch, including some meta files, then annotate, generate a net list ..., and then 'marry' this with the pcbnew-generated board - it works.
  But, it is cumbersome. My only choice - from the current point of view - is to extend my translation factory by netlist-, board processing et al, but: At least one man here does the same work, better than I can do it.

  So my question is: What is the goal behind that blueprints? Is there a point I could help with?

Michael

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Wayne Stambaugh (stambaughw) said :
#1

As you have already deduced, Pcbnew can import eagle xml format boards
and footprint libraries directly. Importing eagle schematic and symbol
libraries in Eeschema is not supported at this time. This is due to the
fact the Eeschema lacks a coherent I/O plugin manager compared to
Pcbnew. This is in the process of being fixed. I have already started
on this. Once this is completed it will be up to someone to write and
eagle plugin for Eeschema to import eagle schematics and symbol
libraries. I was hoping to have this done by the end of August.
Obviously that didn't happen. I am still working on it an hope to be
done in the not too distant future. If you want to write an external
tool, that's fine but the preferred method is to write a plugin for
this. Also, writing an external tool may be short lived as the
schematic and symbol library file formats are changing soon.

As for the blueprints, we have not really used them for the most part.
Far too many of them are nothing more than wishlist posts rather than an
actual design spec for implementing new features. Now that we have
converted over to git, I don't think there is any way to link them to a
git branch. Until launchpad gets git blueprint support working, using
blueprints is probably a waste of time.

Cheers,

Wayne

On 8/31/2016 11:17 AM, Michael Svetlik wrote:
> New question #375369 on KiCad:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/kicad/+question/375369
>
> My background, first.
>
> Over the last years, I designed a bunch of EDA projects using light Eagle. After a system collapse and a new Kubuntu install, I decided to not again beg for that limited eagle software, but instead go to KiCad - which was a good choice, thanks and respect to the developers.
> But I didn't want to draw all the sheets and boards once more, so I looked around for a conversion tool. On github, I found one from Mr.Lachlan, but: eagle has died, I can't process ULP's any more. I took the code and analyzed the logic in it AFAP, then wrote the schematic converter in C. But here, I got stuck with some (maybe trivial) knowledge lack, i.e. 'What is a part? And, what is a unit?'. Hoping to find the answers in code (and with a little support from the wise men), I joined here.
>
> Looking for issues related to import stuff, I fell over two articles:
> * https://blueprints.launchpad.net/kicad/+spec/export-import-expand-supported-files
> * https://blueprints.launchpad.net/kicad/+spec/eeschema-plugin
> IMHO, they are quite similar, and Wayne Stambaugh reports good progress working on the latter.
> The question of imports was also discussed in - at least - this thread:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/kicad-developers%40lists.launchpad.net/msg18921.html
> where eagle .lbr's are focussed.
>
> Now, I've converted a few board files from eagle to kicad using pcbnew, and it works fine. That means to me, the import & conversion code, partially, is already here. Today, I can convert an XML schematic to kicad .sch, including some meta files, then annotate, generate a net list ..., and then 'marry' this with the pcbnew-generated board - it works.
> But, it is cumbersome. My only choice - from the current point of view - is to extend my translation factory by netlist-, board processing et al, but: At least one man here does the same work, better than I can do it.
>
> So my question is: What is the goal behind that blueprints? Is there a point I could help with?
>
> Michael
>

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