KiCad 8.0 - Project structure, workflow and generating professional documentation

Edit: 01-Oct-2024: updated the template with some fixes
1.5x volume for those that find the volume too low:

00:00 Introduction
01:06 Getting the template
02:30 Directory structure
04:59 Library management
06:12 Font and theme
07:01 Text variables (fields)
07:38 Schematic overview
10:15 Project structure (hierarchical)
11:27 Using signal buses
12:27 Using pictures
13:56 Adding comments to schematics
14:25 Making good symbols
15:25 Adding a 3D render to the schematic
20:32 Plotting the schematic
21:45 Board2pdf installation
22:49 Custom user layers for generation
23:34 "Do Not Populate" layer
26:23 Drill Map layer
28:17 Testpoints layer
29:32 Fabrication layer
32:04 Assembly notes layer
35:08 Dimensions, stackup and fabrication notes layer
37:08 Testpoint lists
42:40 Generating the fabrication document
45:13 Generating the assembly document
47:51 Conclusion

[MehulGandhi]

It's great to see a production caliber workflow and set of deliverables using KiCAD. I've struggled finding such examples. Thanks for sharing!

[Mikehibbett]

I'm really loving how KiCad is progress. Thank you

[mrizky]

Stumble on this video in youtube recommendation. Thank you very much for sharing this professional documentation using KiCad.

[carlosleonardoperez]

Just delightful. Although really involved, but with such care you showed the results out of KiCAD are really impressive.

Incredible work, thank you for sharing it!

[Bits]

Fantastic. Thank you very much. Kicad's usefulness has just skyrocketed for me.

[ronnieg]

Very impressive! Really love the clean and professional style of your project documentation. Thanks for this video and sharing the templates and other resources!

[yacineyaker]

i was looking for a better way to organise and manage my kicad projects and your video is very helpful it gives me some good ideas on how to do things from now on thank you

[karim]

Absolutely love it, I wish you made a tutorial for complete beginners so I can convince my friends to join Kicad as well.. your explanations are superb and you highlight so well that the limits of Kicad 8 are much further away than most projects complexity is. Greetings to Lausanne!

[lojason]

Amazing workflow, it's a super templete for me, and i'll tell my friends the best way to did a good job. Thanks, you are an great engineer.

[artemshvydko]

That looks really good and professional!
Looks more like Altium style (which I really like).

[ccrs]

Thank you very much for sharing. I have been suffering from the abnormal chaos of my project structure before, and now I finally have an excellent example.

[ColinWilliams]

Great presentation. Really love this. I have started a new project along these lines this week and the only downside is that I like to use the page number in my designators as it helps me organise when doing placement. This scheme means I end up starting at 300. Maybe I need to drop that idea…hmm.

[arbiabduljabbaar]

it's what i've been looking for! Thanks a lot Vincent! Such an excellent work

[heinzkreutziger]

Really impressive what can be achieved with Kicad. I have only seen such nice fabrication output with Altium Designer

[efox]

I've only seen the Intro while writing this - its already a like and sub.

[zionvad]

Amazing work! Thanks for sharing this knowledge, there no so many videos with KiCad

[ScienceShack]

Amazing - thank you so much for sharing. Very impressive work - sets a high bar!

[studiojiggly]

This is now my holy grail template, this is awesome!

[syrrial]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing your workflow! I'm working on a reasonably complex design in KiCad for my undergraduate thesis; definitely going to use your template as a reference for making my documentation more professional.

[basilboluk]

Thank you so much for excellent example!