Transforms

Overview

The Transforms feature in JITX allows you to move, rotate, and flip board elements. Here, 'board elements' (or just 'element') refers to pads, components, vias, routes, control points, differential insertion points, and silkscreen objects. Note that code-locked board elements (such as components with poses defined in code, or vias/routes defined in code) cannot be transformed. These operations are essential for arranging components and routing paths to achieve a preferred PCB layout.

Note: Transformations may cause routes to become unrouted. The system will attempt to reroute the affected connections automatically.

Moving Board Elements

Once you have selected board elements (see Selecting Board Elements):

Drag to Move: Click and hold the selection, then drag it to the desired location on the board. A preview of the transformation will be shown before finalizing the placement.

Figure 1: Move board elements by dragging.

Rotating Board Elements

Once you have selected board elements (see Selecting Board Elements):

Rotate by 90 Degrees: Press r to rotate the selection by 90 degrees counter-clockwise. Each press of r will rotate the selection an additional 90 degrees. Reverse Rotation: Press Shift + r to rotate clockwise by 90 degrees. Fine Rotation: Press t to rotate the selection by 5 degrees counter-clockwise. Press Shift + t to rotate by 5 degrees clockwise.

Figure 2: Rotate board elements using r.

Flipping Board Elements

Once you have selected board elements (see Selecting Board Elements):

Flip to the Other Side: Press f to flip a component to the other side of the board. Invert Chirality of Differential Insertion Points: Press Shift + f to invert the chirality of selected differential insertion points.

Figure 3: Flip components and invert chirality of differential insertion points using f and Shift + f.

Auto-Placement of Reference Designators

For convenience, JITX provides a tool to auto-place reference designators:

Auto-Place Designators: Press Shift + l to auto-place the reference designators of selected components. If no components are selected, this operation will auto-place designators for all components.

Figure 4: Auto-place reference designators using Shift + l.

Combining Transformations

Board elements can undergo multiple transformations. For example, you can move a component to a new location, rotate it 90 degrees, and then flip it to the other side of the board. Each transformation is applied sequentially.

Figure 5: Combine transformations: move, rotate, and flip board elements.