Frequently Asked Questions

SnapMagic Search is an electronics design data company. Our current product is an online CAD library that provides PCB footprints and schematic symbols for millions of electronic components. Our goal is to provide comprehensive coverage for all electronic components, along with full interoperability with EDA tools and transparency into quality. Our technology exports to all major design tools, including Cadence OrCAD/Allegro, Altium, Mentor PADS, Eagle, KiCad, PCB123, & Pulsonix.

Symbol

Footprint

3D Model

Going forward, SnapMagic Search plans to expand to other forms of design data. The same philosophy that we apply to our symbols & footprints will apply to these forms of data: interoperability with EDA tools and transparency into quality.

We believe that having free, ready-to-use design data should be a fundamental right for electronics designers. Having the basic building blocks needed to get started capturing or laying out a design can help designers focus on what they're best at -- design -- rather than reinventing the wheel creating CAD parts. This added productivity fuels innovation, and that's what we're passionate about at SnapMagic Search.

Our basic CAD library of individually downloadable PCB footprints and schematic symbols will always be free for this reason.

No. We consider ourselves an EDA data company and have no intentions of releasing any design software. We work collaboratively with existing EDA tools, rather than compete with them.

Yes, the license for individual CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models allows you to use them in commercial manufactured designs without attribution or other license restrictions. See What is the license for symbols and footprints for the full legal text.

The license for individual CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models allows you to use them in commercial and non-commercial manufactured designs without attribution or other license restrictions (details below).

Individual CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models on SnapMagic Search are licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA) with the Design Exception 1.0. This license allows designers to use CAD files downloaded from SnapMagic Search for commercial and personal use free of charge, and make derivative works. If CAD files, or derivatives thereof, are shared publicly, attribution must be given to the source (SnapMagic Search and the original author, as applicable), as outlined by the requirements of the license.

Use of the SnapMagic Search website is governed by the Web Site Terms and Conditions of Use.

In short, you cannot use the SnapMagic Search website for the purpose of sharing the content on the Internet or within an EDA tool, but otherwise you are free to use the files for designs.

The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA) normally applies to derivative works containing CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models from SnapMagic Search, including designs, design files and manufactured boards. However, we decided that you should be able to use CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models to design and produce any printed circuit board, regardless of the license. Therefore, the license for CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models contains the following Design Exclusion 1.0:

You have permission to propagate a work of a design, design file(s) and/or manufactured board(s) formed by combining CAD symbols, footprints, and 3D models provided by SnapMagic Search, even if such propagation would otherwise violate the terms of CC BY-SA. You may then convey such a combination under terms of your choice.

If the CAD part you need is not yet available on SnapMagic Search, you can request using our InstaPart service where you can get any part made within 1 business day for $29.

Additional, you can use our InstaBuild tool to generate the symbol instantly. Simple follow the instructions in the InstaBuild wizard to automatically build the symbol. The symbol will be connected to an IPC-compliant footprint and will be ready to download for all formats we support. InstaBuild is currently available on select parts.

As a designer, it always necessary to verify symbol-to-footprint mappings and footprint dimensions before taking your boards to production.

Additionally, SnapMagic Search is innovating in this space by providing unprecedented transparency into the quality of CAD parts, helping designers catch errors before they happen. One example of this is the SnapMagic Search Checker. The checker runs algorithms through each CAD file to check for common manufacturing issues.

The checker runs through DFM rules, such as silkscreen clearance, solder mask/paste sizes, zero component orientation, and naming. The check also does unique full-data analysis to identify possible errors.

Additionally, users can also approve or disapprove CAD parts to provide a feedback loop to other designers.

SnapMagic Search provides only a starting point, but it should always be verified. We do, however, offer a verification system that allows engineers to vouch for parts, or flag issues they see. This is a feedback loop for any issues you may find in the CAD library, however while it serves as a general frame of reference, CAD data must always be verified before sending a design to manufacturing.

1) SnapMagic Search creates CAD data internally using a combination of automation algorithms and manual creation (the goal is to get to as full automation as possible)

2) SnapMagic Search is beginning to work more closely with semiconductor manufacturers to make their design content accessible on SnapMagic Search

All footprints created by SnapMagic Search conform to IPC standards, and all symbols follow a combination of ANSI IEC and our own internal symbol standards. As time goes on, we plan to incorporate more global standards and allow engineers to dynamically modify the CAD data to meet the standards in their particular geographic region or company.

SnapMagic Search exports to OrCAD/Allegro, Altium, Eagle, KiCad, PADS, PCB123, and Pulsonix for symbols and footprints. We also export 3D models in STEP format which can be imported to most PCB tools.

For detailed instructions on importing into your tool, please check out our import guide

Currently SnapMagic Search can mass import symbols and footprints from Eagle files. We plan to expand the functionality of our import tools based on demand. Please contact us if there's a software tool you'd like to see supported.

Yes! We have two APIs available depending on how you intend to use the data. Please contact us to learn more.

Please use the Feedback button at the bottom of the page, or email us at [email protected].

Please email [email protected] for any further inquiries.