KiDoom – Running DOOM on PCB Traces
I got DOOM running in KiCad by rendering it with PCB traces and footprints instead of pixels. Walls are rendered as PCB_TRACK traces, and entities (enemies, items, player) are actual component footprints - SOT-23 for small items, SOIC-8 for decorations, QFP-64 for enemies and the player. How I did it: Started by patching DOOM's source code to extract vector data directly from the engine. Instead of trying to render 64,000 pixels (which would be impossibly slow), I grab the geometry DOOM already calculates internally - the drawsegs[] array for walls and vissprites[] for entities. Added a…
In plain words
KiDoom renders the classic game DOOM within KiCad's PCB design software by converting game geometry into circuit board elements. Walls appear as PCB traces while enemies, items, and the player are represented as electronic component footprints of varying sizes. The project extracts vector data directly from DOOM's source code and pipes it to a Python plugin in KiCad, bypassing traditional pixel rendering. It is designed for those interested in unconventional software implementations and creative uses of PCB design tools.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
I got DOOM running in KiCad by rendering it with PCB traces and footprints instead of pixels. Walls are rendered as PCB_TRACK traces, and entities (enemies, items, player) are actual component footprints - SOT-23 for small items, SOIC-8 for decorations, QFP-64 for enemies and the player. How I did it: Started by patching DOOM's source code to extract vector data directly from the engine. Instead of trying to render 64,000 pixels (which would be impossibly slow), I grab the geometry DOOM already calculates internally - the drawsegs[] array for walls and vissprites[] for entities. Added a field to the vissprite_t structure to capture entity types (MT_SHOTGUY, MT_PLAYER, etc.) during R_ProjectSprite(). This lets me map 150+ entity types to appropriate footprint categories. The DOOM engine sends this vector data over a Unix socket to a Python plugin running in KiCad. The plugin pre-allocates pools of traces and footprints at startup, then just updates their positions each frame instead of creating/destroying objects. Calls pcbnew.Refresh() to update the display. Runs at 10-25 FPS depending on hardware. The bottleneck is KiCad's refresh, not DOOM or the data transfer. Also renders to an SDL window (for actual gameplay) and a Python wireframe window (for debugging), so you get three views running simultaneously. Follow-up: ScopeDoom After getting the wireframe renderer working, I wanted to push it somewhere more physical. Oscilloscopes in X-Y mode are vector displays - feed X coordinates to one channel, Y to the other. I didn't have a function generator, so I used my MacBook's headphone jack instead. The sound card is just a dual-channel DAC at 44.1kHz. Wired 3.5mm jack → 1kΩ resistors → scope CH1 (X) and CH2 (Y). Reused the same vector extraction from KiDoom, but the Python script converts coordinates to ±1V range and streams them as audio samples. Each wall becomes a wireframe box, the scope traces along each line. With ~7,000 points per frame at 44.1kHz, refresh rate is about 6 Hz - slow enough to be a slideshow, but level geometry is clearly recognizable. A 96kHz audio interface or analog scope would improve it significantly (digital scopes do sample-and-hold instead of continuous beam tracing). Links: KiDoom GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelAyles/KiDoom, writeup: https://www.mikeayles.com/#kidoom ScopeDoom GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelAyles/ScopeDoom, writeup: https://www.mikeayles.com/#scopedoom
More dev tools this month
the category →
Open-source GTM skills for technical founders
Dev tools · 29d ago · gtmcofounder.com
OpenTrailPaper is open-source bike computer firmware for the LilyGO T5S3 4.7" E-Paper PRO. It supports offline maps, GPX routes, FIT recording and Bluetooth sensors.
Dev tools · 1d ago · opentrailpaper.com
Launched alongside, November 2025
the whole month →
- IB
Life & fun · Nov 2025 · bitsnpieces.dev
- BBoing▲782
Life & fun · Nov 2025 · boing.greg.technology