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KiCAD Replicate Layout Plugin

Replicate the PCB layout of one hierarchical sheet to other hierarchical sheets. This replication is based upon hierarchical sheets in Eeschema. The basic requirement for replication is that the section to be replicated (source) is completely contained within a single hierarchical sheet, and replicated sections (destination) are just copies of the same sheet. Complex hierarchies are supported and the replicated sheet can contain subsheets. The plugin replicates footprints, zones, tracks, text and drawings.

After the section for replication (source section) has been laid out (footprints, tracks, text objects and zones placed) you need to:

  1. Place the anchor footprints for the destination sections you want to replicate. This defines the position and orientation of replicated sections. You can use the PlaceFootprints action plugin for this.
  2. Select the same anchor footprint within the source section.
  3. Run the plugin.
  4. Choose which hierarchical level you wish to replicate.
  5. Select which sheets you want to replicate (default is all of them).
  6. Select whether you want to also replicate tracks, zones and/or text objects.
  7. Select whether you want to group replicated footprints/tracks/zones/text/drawings by hierarchical sheets.
  8. Select whether you want to replicate tracks/zones/text which intersect the pivot bounding box or just those contained within the bounding box.
  9. Select whether you want to delete already laid out tracks/zones/text (this is useful when updating an already replicated layout).
  10. Hit OK.

By default, only objects which are fully contained in the bounding box constituted by all the footprints in the section will be replicated. You can select to also replicate zones and tracks which intersect this bounding box. Additionally, tracks, text and zones which are already laid out in the replicated bounding boxes can be removed (useful when updating). Note that bounding boxes are squares aligned with the x and y axis, regardless of section orientation.

Installation

The preferred way to install the plugin is via KiCad's Plugin and Content Manager (PCM). Installation on non-networked devices can be done by downloading the latest release and installing in the PCM using the Install from file option.