https://github.com/alplabai/signex
Signex — AI-first electronics design automation
https://github.com/alplabai/signex
altium eda electronics gui hardware iced kicad open-source pcb rust schematic wgpu
Last synced: 7 days ago
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Signex — AI-first electronics design automation
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/alplabai/signex
- Owner: alplabai
- License: other
- Created: 2026-04-06T14:57:12.000Z (20 days ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-13T20:30:19.000Z (13 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-13T21:19:28.040Z (13 days ago)
- Topics: altium, eda, electronics, gui, hardware, iced, kicad, open-source, pcb, rust, schematic, wgpu
- Language: Rust
- Homepage: https://signex.dev
- Size: 938 KB
- Stars: 8
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
Signex
Open-source, AI-first electronics design automation
Features ·
Screenshots ·
Building ·
Roadmap ·
Contributing ·
License
---
Signex is a **KiCad-compatible** schematic and PCB editor built in Rust with
GPU-accelerated rendering. It opens your existing KiCad projects, edits them
through an Altium Designer-quality UI, and saves them back — so KiCad users
get a better editor without leaving the ecosystem they trust.
**Two editions from one codebase:**
- **Signex Community** (Apache-2.0, free forever) — full schematic + PCB
editor, 3D viewer, simulation, plugin system
- **Signex Pro** (subscription) — adds Signal AI (Claude-powered design
copilot), real-time collaboration, and Signex 365 cloud PLM
> **Status:** Early development — v0.6 (full schematic editor) in progress.
> [Join the discussion](https://github.com/alplabai/signex/discussions) or
> check the [roadmap](#roadmap).
## Features
**What works today (v0.1–v0.6):**
- Open and render any KiCad schematic (.kicad_sch, .kicad_sym, .kicad_pro)
- Full schematic editing: select, move, wire (W), bus (B), label (L),
component placement (P), delete, rotate (Space), mirror (X/Y)
- Copy/paste, undo/redo (100 levels), save back to KiCad format
- 6 built-in themes with customizable theme editor
- Altium-style docking panels with drag-to-undock/dock
- Active Bar — 14-button floating toolbar with dropdown menus
- Context menu, in-place text editing (F2), selection filter
- Properties panel with context-aware field editing
- KiCad 8/9 format support with round-trip fidelity
- 60fps pan/zoom on schematics with 500+ components
**What's next:**
| Version | Milestone |
|---|---|
| v0.7 | ERC validation, annotation |
| v0.8–v0.9 | PDF/BOM output, library editor, installers |
| **v1.0** | **Community Preview** — schematic-only release |
| **v2.0–v2.2** | **Community Release** — full PCB editor |
| **v3.0** | **Pro Release** — Signal AI + collaboration |
| **v4.0** | Unified simulation view with SPICE, EM, thermal |
| **v5.0** | Signex 365 cloud PLM |
## Screenshots
Active Bar with dropdown menus, Selection Filter tags, Properties panel with document options
More themes
Catppuccin Mocha, GitHub Dark, Solarized Light — 6 themes built in, fully customizable
## Architecture
```
signex/
├── crates/
│ ├── signex-app/ # Main binary — Iced 0.14 application
│ ├── signex-types/ # Domain types — NO rendering deps
│ ├── signex-render/ # wgpu rendering (types → Canvas draw calls)
│ ├── signex-widgets/ # Reusable Iced widgets (tree view, icon button)
│ ├── kicad-parser/ # S-expression parser (.kicad_sch/.kicad_pcb/.kicad_sym)
│ └── kicad-writer/ # S-expression serializer (write KiCad format)
└── Cargo.toml
```
**Design principles:**
- **KiCad compatibility first.** Open existing KiCad projects, save back losslessly. No proprietary format.
- **Elm architecture.** Iced's `Message -> update -> view` cycle. No interior mutability.
- **Nanometer coordinates.** `i64` nanometers internally; exact in both metric and imperial.
- **Canvas for schematic, Shader for PCB.** CPU tessellation for schematics, GPU instanced rendering for 100K+ PCB elements.
- **Types crate has zero rendering deps.** Clean separation between domain and display.
## Building
**Prerequisites:** Rust 1.80+ and a GPU supporting Vulkan, Metal, or DX12.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/alplabai/signex.git
cd signex
cargo run -p signex-app # Run
cargo test --workspace # Test
cargo clippy --workspace -- -D warnings # Lint
```
## Roadmap
| Milestone | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Scaffold — Iced shell, panels, themes, dock system | v0.1 | Done |
| Parser — KiCad format read/write, domain types | v0.2 | Done |
| Canvas — wgpu pan/zoom/grid, Altium-style camera | v0.3 | Done |
| Schematic Viewer — render all elements, multi-sheet nav | v0.4 | Done |
| Schematic Editor — select, move, wire, undo/redo, save | v0.5 | Done |
| Full SCH Editor — copy/paste, labels, components, Active Bar | v0.6 | **In Progress** |
| Validation — ERC, annotation, pin matrix | v0.7 | |
| Output — PDF, BOM, netlist | v0.8 | |
| Library & Polish — symbol/footprint editor, installers | v0.9 | |
| **Community Preview** — schematic-only editor | **v1.0** | |
| PCB Viewer — GPU rendering, layers, cross-probe | v2.0 | |
| PCB Routing + DRC + Output | v2.1–v2.2 | |
| **Community Release** — full schematic + PCB editor | **v2.2** | |
| 3D Viewer, Advanced PCB, High-Speed Design | v2.3–v2.5 | |
| **Pro Release** — Signal AI + plugins + collaboration | **v3.0** | |
| Simulation — SPICE, EM, thermal, simulation wizards | v4.0–v4.1 | |
| **Signex 365** — cloud PLM, BOM Studio, ERP bridge | **v5.0** | |
See [docs/ROADMAP.md](docs/ROADMAP.md) for the detailed version plan.
## Contributing
Signex is open source and we welcome contributions from everyone — whether
you're an EDA professional, a Rust developer, a KiCad user, or someone who
just wants to help build a better design tool.
**Ways to contribute:**
- Report bugs or rendering discrepancies vs KiCad
- Add KiCad test fixtures from real projects
- Implement a feature from the [roadmap](docs/ROADMAP.md)
- Fix an [open issue](https://github.com/alplabai/signex/issues)
- Improve documentation
**Quick start:**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/alplabai/signex.git
cd signex
cargo build --workspace
cargo run -p signex-app
```
See **[CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)** for the full guide: branching
workflow, crate map, code style, and good first issues.
## License
Signex Community Edition is licensed under the [Apache License 2.0](LICENSE).
Copyright 2026 [Alp Lab AI](https://github.com/alplabai)