X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f
X-Recipient: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:33:05 +0200 (CEST)
X-X-Sender: igor2 AT igor2priv
To: "Chris Smith (space DOT dandy AT icloud DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
X-Debug: to=geda-user AT delorie DOT com from="gedau AT igor2 DOT repo DOT hu"
From: gedau AT igor2 DOT repo DOT hu
Subject: Re: [geda-user] PCB interface (ECAD vs. MCAD)
In-Reply-To: <79456AAA-24A9-4300-900D-005ABBCFCBDA@icloud.com>
Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.00.1507131126460.6924@igor2priv>
References: <76520AC3-3E8D-4F80-A912-AB076DD8D0C6 AT icloud DOT com> <1670171546 DOT 913210 DOT 1436776811789 DOT JavaMail DOT yahoo AT mail DOT yahoo DOT com> <79456AAA-24A9-4300-900D-005ABBCFCBDA AT icloud DOT com>
User-Agent: Alpine 2.00 (DEB 1167 2008-08-23)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Errors-To: nobody AT delorie DOT com
X-Mailing-List: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
X-Unsubscribes-To: listserv AT delorie DOT com
Precedence: bulk



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