Klayout 25d View -
Navigate to Tools > 2.5d View > New 2.5d Script . This opens the macro editor with a template based on the Design Rule Check (DRC) language.
The 2.5D window uses a camera-based navigation system relative to a pivot point marked by a compass icon. Drag with Right Mouse Button Move Pivot (Up/Down/Left/Right) Drag with Middle Mouse Button Move Pivot (Forward/Backward) Mouse Wheel Zoom (Magnify/Shrink) Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Top-Down View Toggle Press and Hold Shift Scaling the Z-Axis
z(layer, zstart: 0.0, height: 1.0) : This extrudes a specific layer from a base (zstart) to a certain thickness (height). klayout 25d view
To use this tool, you must provide a that defines the "material stack"—essentially telling KLayout which layers to extrude and to what height.
By exporting a net from the Net Tracer , you can visualize a specific electrical path as it moves vertically through vias and different metal layers. Colors in the 2.5d View - KLayout Layout Viewer And Editor Navigate to Tools > 2
zz { ... } : This combines multiple z statements into a single display group for easier material management.
A dedicated list on the right allows you to toggle specific material groups on or off, which is useful for "peeling back" upper metal layers to see lower-level transistor structures. Drag with Right Mouse Button Move Pivot (Up/Down/Left/Right)
The 2.5D view respects your 2D layout settings. If you change a layer's fill color or hide it in the main viewer, it will update in the 2.5D window.
Unlike a true 3D viewer that might support arbitrary angles and curved surfaces, the 2.5D view in KLayout works strictly by taking 2D polygon layers and extruding them vertically. It cannot model complex process topologies (like conformal coverage) but excels at showing how different metal, poly, and diffusion layers sit on top of each other. Key Technical Requirements