Klayout — 25d View

Run this script, and your 2.5D view configures itself instantly. Problem: The 3D view is completely black. Solution: You are likely looking from inside the substrate. Reset the camera ( View > Reset 3D Camera ). Also, ensure your "Background color" in preferences is not black (set it to dark grey).

Everything looks like flat colored paper. Solution: You forgot to set the "Height" in Layer Properties, or you haven't tilted the camera (still in top-down orthographic mode). klayout 25d view

Enter —the open-source, high-performance layout viewer and editor. While KLayout is famous for its speed handling massive GDS/OASIS files, its hidden superpower for many users is the 2.5D View . Run this script, and your 2

By spending 10 minutes configuring your layer heights and learning the camera controls, you transform KLayout from a static plotting tool into a dynamic visualization engine. Whether you are verifying a MEMS device, a Silicon Photonics chip, or a standard CMOS block, the "2.5D view" brings your layout to life—literally lifting your polygons off the screen to reveal the true vertical complexity of your design. Reset the camera ( View > Reset 3D Camera )

(often called the "3D preview" or "perspective view" in older versions) works by taking the flat polygons on your mask layers and assigning them a height (Z-value) and a color . When you tilt the camera, you see "walls" rising from the substrate.

But what exactly is "2.5D"? It isn't true 3D rendering (like you’d see in Cadence Virtuoso 3D or Siemens Calibre 3DSTACK). Instead, the 2.5D view in KLayout gives you a pseudo-3D perspective where 2D polygons are extruded vertically based on layer information. This article dives deep into how to activate, configure, and leverage the KLayout 2.5D view to debug your designs faster than ever before. 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.

height = 0 if name.include?("metal2") height = 60 elsif name.include?("metal1") height = 30 elsif name.include?("poly") height = 10 elsif name.include?("via") height = 20 end layer_info.fill_3d = true layer_info.height_3d = height lv.set_layer(layer_index, layer_info) end