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Date:	Wed, 15 Jul 2015 10:06:49 -0400
Message-ID:	<CAM2RGhTpknNarsnm3pg7Ey9vA-yj_Sgm0T1bs-QybD05aGtd8A@mail.gmail.com>
Subject:	Re: [geda-user] PCB interface (ECAD vs. MCAD)
From:	"Evan Foss (evanfoss AT gmail DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
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On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 2:16 AM, Bert Timmerman
(bert DOT timmerman AT xs4all DOT nl) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]
<geda-user AT delorie DOT com> wrote:
> Evan Foss (evanfoss AT gmail DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com] wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Jul 14, 2015 at 1:03 PM, Vaclav Peroutka (vaclavpe AT seznam DOT cz)
>> [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]<geda-user AT delorie DOT com>  wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> However it nearly always has some kind of panel mounting. When I start a
>>> layout, I nearly always want to start with the mechanical components, to
>>> say: distribute these switches/LEDS between here and here, on 20mm
>>> centres.
>>> This is trivial with 2D MCAD, but cumbersome with PCB.
>>>
>>>
>>> Good idea. All profesional flows start with "mechanical" design of PCB -
>>> mounting holes, connectors, LEDs, switches etc. These footprints must not
>>> be
>>> touched later. Then placement and layout of all non-mechanical components
>>>
>>
>> I like this a lot. Could we use a library that already exists to
>> import dxf or something? Most of my projects for work do start this
>> way. I do have some where the prototyping and etc are more important
>> than a case.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Another question - is there any process of pre-placement in PCB ? Somehow
>>> to
>>> extract positions from SCH file and load it to PCB - footprints will be
>>> moved to similar places like in schematic.
>>>
>>
>> I vaguely recall someone talking about it. I don't think it ever got
>> to a fit to ship state obviously.
>>
>>
>
> Hi Evan,
>
> I started a project named "libdxf" years ago, still in alpha (version <
> 0.01), may not be of any use yet, only got a handful of contributors in the
> span of several years, a bit of a "commit-and-run" experience, the repo
> resides at github.com.
>
> Another DXF related project I did years ago was to create a DXF exporter for
> pcb, now bit rotting away in some topic branch in my pcb github sandbox,
> there is a Launchpad bug report with outdated patches lingering around too.

We need to avoid using our own dxf code if we do this. Probably from
librecad, brlcad or someone else. A nice side benefit of using a cad
packages dxf code is that it probably will have other libraries
parallel to it that support other parallel formats.

> If nobody picks stuff like this, if nobody does a test drive, if nobody
> tweaks here and there, if nobody sends in a patch or two ... these kind of
> features never make it it to the main stream.

Yes.

> Kind regards,
>
> Bert Timmerman.



-- 
Home
http://evanfoss.googlepages.com/
Work
http://forge.abcd.harvard.edu/gf/project/epl_engineering/wiki/

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