The dashed "must join" lines KiCad draws for a net before it is routed; the router's to-do list.glossary, Physical / electrical concepts
The dashed "must join" line KiCad draws for a net before it is routed; the router's to-do list.glossary, Ants: routing and our own terms (from Nov 2026)
How it looks
Real geometry: CORE3588 pads, airwires computed from our board file
CORE3588 with its copper stripped, top layer, 16 x 14 mm next to camera socket P4, with the airwires drawn for every net (ground left out). Our own calculation of the shortest links; KiCad draws the same kind of lines.
1The pads of one camera socket (P4). Each needs to reach somewhere else.
2Dashed lines: airwires, the shortest "this must join that" links for each net. Many leave the picture because the other end is far away.
How it works
Where it fits
Airwires are the router's to-do list. A copper stripped test board shows them all at once; a clean board has none left.