EFA CAMverse › KiCad viewer
Format guide · KiCadReviewing a KiCad board in work preparation or manufacturing – without installing KiCad? EFA CAMverse opens .kicad_pcb and .kicad_pro natively – no cloud upload – and shows layers, stackup, components, nets and 3D.
KiCad – the open-source board format of the free EDA suite.
KiCad is a complete, free EDA suite (schematic + layout). The .kicad_pcb file describes the layout in S-expression syntax and contains layers, traces, footprints, nets, keepouts and an explicit stackup; the accompanying .kicad_pro project file (JSON) holds the project settings.
KiCad originated in 1992 (Jean-Pierre Charras) and is actively developed today as a large open-source project – supported among others by CERN and under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation. It has gained strong traction in industry, open hardware and education.
Download for free and install – a native Windows application (10/11, 64-bit), free to use as a viewer.
Open the board file (.kicad_pcb) or the project file (.kicad_pro) directly – layers are resolved by name, since the internal layer numbers can be file-specific. Individual .kicad_mod footprints are not loaded.
Toggle layers, highlight nets with a double-click, read the stackup, inspect components, measure distances – and switch to the 3D view with one click.
Toggle every layer and control transparency – read the explicit stackup from the file in the stackup pane.
Footprints with references and the complete netlist – with bidirectional highlight on double-click.
Top and bottom as assembly views – straight from the board's component data, no detour via manufacturing data.
Components as 3D bodies – optionally with real models from the KiCad 3D library: EFA CAMverse downloads the model pack from within the application.
Precise distance and geometry measurement right in the layer view.
A native Windows application – no cloud, no upload. Your design data stays on your machine.
Assembly views & variantsFrom the component data of the KiCad board, EFA CAMverse generates the assembly print itself, component by component – instead of merely displaying a supplied drawing. That is why your customer's variant can truly be reproduced: components deselected for a variant are never drawn in the first place and disappear completely with body, pads and labelling – in 2D as well as 3D. More about assembly →
Pass on as GenCAD 1.4Read the KiCad board and export it as GenCAD 1.4 – real conversion, not just viewing. Feed assembly, test and AOI environments that expect GenCAD straight from the .kicad_pcb. All features →
KiCad vs. EAGLEBoth are tool-native design formats – not manufacturing exchange like Gerber or ODB++. KiCad is open source and uses S-expressions, EAGLE is proprietary (Autodesk) and XML-based. EFA CAMverse reads both natively – in the same tool. To the EAGLE guide →
What is read?Read are .kicad_pcb (S-expression, from KiCad 4 with the format updates through KiCad 5/6/7/8/9) and .kicad_pro (JSON, from KiCad 6). Not loaded are the legacy .brd format (up to KiCad 4) and individual .kicad_mod footprints. Layers are resolved by name – robust against file-specific layer numbers.
And when the next customer delivers something else: EFA CAMverse also opens eight more PCB/CAM formats – in the same tool, with the same way of working.
EFA CAMverse is free to use as a viewer – unlock advanced features whenever you need them. Native on Windows, your data stays local.
EFA CAMverse 2026 · free viewer · Windows 10/11 · 64-bit
Gerber X3
ODB++
IPC-2581
GenCAD
IPC-D-356
DXF
PADS