KiCad schematic / PCB viewer integration for InvenTree (using KiCanvas)

[vaas0004]

Hi,

First of all, thank you for the great work on InvenTree. I’m an InvenTree user working on small personal hardware development projects. I’m not an application developer, but while setting up my workflow I noticed a possible integration that might be interesting for the project.

I noticed discussion #4133 touches on storing or linking CAD data in InvenTree. My idea could potentially be complementary to that discussion by focusing on opening design files directly in a browser viewer.

In my setup I use:

• KiCad for schematic and PCB design
• Git for schematic and PCB version control
• InvenTree for EBOM, parts and assemblies

While working with this stack I realized it could be very useful if InvenTree could open KiCad schematic or PCB files directly in a browser viewer.

A lightweight approach could be to integrate KiCanvas, which can render .kicad_sch and .kicad_pcb files directly in the browser.

Example workflow:

InvenTree Part
 ├─ Design repository (Git)
 ├─ View schematic
 └─ View PCB

Clicking the link could open something like:

/kicanvas/?file=<url-to-kicad-file>

This would not require any CAD parsing in InvenTree itself, only a viewer integration.

In my professional work I use Siemens (Mentor Graphics) EDM, where schematic and PCB viewers provide visual context for design data and BOMs during design reviews. A lightweight viewer integration could provide similar design visibility for KiCad-based workflows in InvenTree.

Interestingly, similar browser-based viewers also exist for mechanical design tools such as FreeCAD (for example: https://alsado.de/fcviewer-freecad-online-viewer), which suggests that a generic "design viewer" approach could potentially support different engineering file types in the future.

However, the initial scope would simply be:

Render KiCad schematic or PCB files in the browser from within InvenTree

Possible future extensions could include design review workflows or comments linked to design data, similar to how this is used in tools such as Mentor Graphics EDM, Altium 365 or Cadence design viewers.

I’m curious if something like this could be useful for the project.

I’d be happy to test such an integration in a real setup.

Regards,
Gerard

[matmair]

Happy to review a more technical description of how you would implement this; I am not sure this is something the core team would work on but we would certainly be happy to review and merge something

[SchrodingersGat]

I have wondered for a while whether there would be a useful way to provide an integration with kicanvas. I would be interested to see what you can come up with, @vaas0004

[vaas0004]

Thank you for your response. I think an integration between InvenTree and KiCanvas could fit well within a typical development workflow. Below I outline how such an integrated workflow could work and which roles could benefit from it.

Typical Embedded Hardware Development Flow

A typical development flow for an embedded board could look like this:

1. Schematic development
2. Schematic review
3. PCB development
4. PCB review
5. BOM finalization, simplification and component sourcing
6. Prototype assembly
7. Hardware bring-up and testing
8. Firmware / HDL integration
9. Design iteration(s)
10. Final prototype and acceptance testing

Product Lifecycle Usage of InvenTree

During the product lifecycle, InvenTree can be used for:

1. Production
2. Repair and maintenance
3. Obsolescence management and alternative component search
4. System integration and troubleshooting

Access to Design Data

In many of the steps mentioned above, access to the design data is required, often in relation to the Manufacturer Parts linked in InvenTree.

Use of KiCad

KiCad itself is only required during:

• Schematic design
• PCB design

Use of a Viewer

In the remaining steps, access to the schematic and PCB design data via a viewer is often sufficient and even desirable:

• People without a design role should not be able to modify the designs
• They often do not have KiCad installed
• They usually do not have detailed knowledge of KiCad or electronics design
• They benefit from an easily accessible visual relationship between schematic/PCB component placement and the corresponding Manufacturer Part in InvenTree
• Support for where-used searches between InvenTree parts and KiCad projects can help identify where components are used in designs

A lightweight browser viewer integrated into InvenTree could provide this design visibility without requiring users to open the full KiCad design environment.

---

Possible Workflows

Possible workflows with such a viewer could look like this:

KiCad Project Import

1. The user stores the KiCad project data in a Git repository.

A Git repository could contain:

• schematic.kicad_sch
• pcb.kicad_pcb
• bom.csv

2. The user creates a project in the InvenTree Project Navigator.
3. The user links the desired Git repository.
4. InvenTree displays the following project structure in the Project Navigator:

Project A
    Revision A
        schematic
        pcb
        bom
        (Git) metadata
    Revision B
        ...
Project B
    ...

Where-Used Functionality

1. The user right-clicks a Part in InvenTree and selects "Used in KiCad Projects".
2. InvenTree opens the Project Navigator, showing only the KiCad projects in which the selected part is used.
3. The user selects a project.
4. InvenTree visually highlights the location of the part in the schematic and/or PCB viewer.

Cross-Referencing Design Data from the Viewer

1. The user selects a component in the schematic (or PCB viewer).
2. The PCB viewer (or schematic viewer) zooms in and highlights the component.
3. The viewer identifies the corresponding InvenTree Part / Manufacturer Part.
4. InvenTree displays the linked part information, such as:

• Manufacturer Part
• Approved alternatives
• Stock information
• Lifecycle status

---

This is only one possible workflow illustrating how design visibility could work. The exact user experience and integration with the existing InvenTree interface would of course depend on how it best fits within the current architecture and UI design.

I’d be interested to hear if something like this could fit within the current InvenTree functionality and workflows.

[matmair]

That sounds feasible and helpful; some of the described components are currently missing in core, but I think those can be added in a few iterations.
The main thing would be to get kicad schematics viewed and interact with the selections. We have attachments - this could be used right now instead of direct git integration.
@vaas0004 are you interested in pushing this forward?