Mail Archives: geda-user/2015/07/13/05:26:34
On Mon, 13 Jul 2015, Chris Smith (space DOT dandy AT icloud DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com] wrote:
>
>> On 13 Jul 2015, at 09:40, Cirilo Bernardo (cirilo_bernardo AT yahoo DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com] <geda-user AT delorie DOT com> wrote:
>>
>> Now generally these
>> days if you say "MCAD" you're talking about 3D solid model design
>> software; if you're doing 2D stuff that's simply drafting software
>> and not necessarily MCAD although no one will dispute that it's
>> CAD.
>
> That?s what I meant. I was thinking purely of 2D geometry.
>
>> Otherwise the only significant feature I can think of which is
>> shared by ECAD and MCAD is the 2D geometry code needed to create
>> outlines/cutouts/fills in the PCB design phase. I guess MCAD
>> would also do clearance checks so you could script it to do
>> DRC on 3D models of tracks if you really wanted to do things the
>> hard way.
>
> That?s my point. If you ignore the modern 3D MCAD stuff and look at a simple 2D draughting package, like QCad, then PCB layout is just that plus electrical semantics ? relationships between objects and layers.
I think it's PCB is a bit more than 2d - or rather, should be.
Ideally, it knows the thickness of layers and which of the layers are
connected by a plated drill. This how blind or burried vias would be
possible.
Of coruse this is not a big thing over the 2d stuff, but for me it really
makes it more like 2.5d in a sense.
Btw, I see the validity in your MCAD->ECAD idea; actually when I need to
do draw something mechanical, if it's small, I sometimes just use PCB. I
shoulnd't, but I'm so much faster with PCB than with librecad for those
very small things... A typical example is small floorplans, especially if
I don't need dimension lines (they are expensive in PCB and cheap in
librecad). My scale is usually 1mm PCB = 1m real life.
Regards,
Igor2
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