A boardview is an interactive map of the PCB: click a part or a pin and the viewer highlights everything on the same net. It is the fastest way to follow a signal from the schematic onto the physical board.
Pick the viewer by file extension
The boardview formats page lists every format in the index and the viewers that open it. Each board page repeats that list for the files it actually has.
When a file does not open
- The same extension can hide different file layouts. Try a second viewer before deciding the file is broken.
- Many files are published inside
.raror.ziparchives — unpack them first. - Check that the file belongs to your board revision; the layout can change between revisions.
Reading a boardview together with the schematic
Open both. Find the part reference in the schematic, search for the same reference in the boardview, then measure on the real board.