It's called 2.5D because the extrusion is simple: a layer is taken as a flat 2D polygon and pulled straight up to a given height. It does not model complex 3D topography like sloped sidewalls or conformal coatings. It's a "prism" view, not a full solid model.
Before clicking buttons, let’s clarify the terminology. A true 3D view requires volume rendering (height, width, depth). KLayout does not natively do this because it is a layout tool, not a mechanical CAD tool.
: Use the following functions in your script: z(layer, options) : Extrudes a specific DRC layer. klayout 25d view
Assign distinct colors to Vias (e.g., bright yellow) and Metals (e.g., deep blue or copper red) to quickly spot alignment errors.
: Move, rotate, and zoom through your "3D" chip using camera-based controls. How to Set It Up It's called 2
Modern designs use stacked vias (V1, V2, V3) to connect multiple metal layers. In 2D, these appear as concentric squares, making it easy to misalign a via. Rotating the 25D view reveals if a V2 via properly lands on both the underlying Metal1 and the overlying Metal2 – a kind of "virtual cross-section" without cutting a physical slice.
In KLayout (usually version 0.26 and later), you can find this under: Before clicking buttons, let’s clarify the terminology
: Check if the script is configured to be "bound to a menu item" in the Macro Development environment Window is blank : Ensure your
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) requires absolute precision. When working with complex integrated circuit (IC) layouts or Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), a flat 2D top-down view does not always tell the whole story.
Right-click and select , then restart KLayout if prompted.
KLayout’s 25D feature requires a few setup steps. It is not enabled by default in minimal installations due to hardware acceleration dependencies.