KiCad 10 released with track tuning revamp, Windows dark mode, design variants, and more

KiCad 10 has been released after over a year of development, bringing a substantial set of new features and enhancements to the open source electronic design automation suite. Notably, KiCad 10 introduces a comprehensive track tuning system overhaul. This upgrade includes improved algorithms that align the router with the design rule checker, adds support for time-domain constraints, and allows the use of tuning profiles for per-layer signal routing.

Alongside this core change, the software now ships 3D models exclusively as STEP files, which significantly reduces installation size and increases geometric accuracy. Further streamlining workflows, the release adds support for importing designs from Allegro, PADS, and gEDA / Lepton PCB, making it easier to migrate existing projects.

Following previous user interface improvements, Windows users gain automatic dark mode support and the ability to customize editor toolbars by rearranging them to suit individual preferences. Editing flexibility is also improved with a new lasso selection mode in both PCB and schematic editors, and the ability to undo changes within dialog boxes before they are closed.

Building on previous schematic improvements, features now include grouping within the schematic editor, clearer wire crossings as hop-over arcs, live previews and warnings when dragging wires, support for jumpers, and a graphical rule editor for custom constraints. Additional enhancements include design variant management, CSV import/export for pin tables, expanded design block functionality, and inner-layer support for graphical objects in footprints, among others.