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Subject: Re: [geda-user] RS-274D Gerber Conversion
References: <e226233c-616a-e5f0-9689-1b9080b3e7ad AT q40 DOT de>
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From: "John Griessen (john AT ecosensory DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
Message-ID: <9376623e-906e-6c81-e5c8-c737d0dea208@ecosensory.com>
Date: Mon, 20 May 2019 16:49:52 +0000 (UTC)
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On 5/20/19 3:26 AM, Derek Stewart (derek AT q40 DOT de) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com] wrote:
> I may have to pay the year free to convert the files.

Practical layout requires some footprint creation,
and using things from that distant a past is low density,
so practical layer-outers "just start" after having the amount
of old data you already have.  They add in whatever got lost in
translation.

There have not been many tools that create a
usable editable layout representation from Gerber output, even in RS-274X format...
Much reuse is done by simply putting an image in the background and then,
"just start", as above.

And then there are the non-free-non-open tools with AI used by chip design
companies that can take old layout and new rules and redo to make it work and
fit optimally.  They could probably take your old stuff and give an output
as fast as you could set up the constraints.  In an eye-blink. If you pay $100k.

But for free-open and human driven layout, "just start".