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Opening KiCad Projects

Trace is built on KiCad 10, so it natively opens any KiCad project. To import an existing design:
  1. File → Open Project or drag and drop a .kicad_pro file into Trace
  2. Trace opens the schematic (.kicad_sch) and PCB (.kicad_pcb) files directly
  3. All components, nets, footprints, and routing are preserved exactly as they are
No conversion or import step is needed — KiCad files are Trace’s native format.

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What You Can Do With Imported Designs

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AI Design Review

Ask the AI to review your existing design for issues:

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Get Explanations

Have the AI explain how an unfamiliar design works:

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Optimize Placement

The AI’s GNN + simulated annealing placer can optimize component placement on imported boards:
This is especially effective for boards where placement was done manually and could benefit from optimization based on signal flow analysis and constraint awareness.

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Modify and Extend

Make changes to imported designs using natural language:
Imported designs often carry non-standard net and pin names — different capitalization, separator styles (SPI_CLK vs SPI-CLK), hierarchical prefixes (/power/VBUS_5V), or auto-generated names like Net-(U1-Pad4). The AI resolves its edits against your design’s actual names, so a near-miss binds to the existing net instead of accidentally creating a new one. When a reference is genuinely ambiguous, the AI asks which net you meant rather than guessing.

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Manufacturing Files

Generate manufacturing outputs from any imported design:

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Supported File Formats

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Tips

  • Start with Ask mode — Before making changes, use Ask mode to understand the design: “Explain this circuit” or “What does R5 do?”
  • Review before modifying — Run ERC/DRC first to understand the current state of the design
  • Version safety — Trace automatically versions every change, so you can always roll back if an AI modification doesn’t work out
  • Incremental changes — Make modifications one section at a time rather than asking for a complete redesign