Disabling Model Body Outline |
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dwaltoneng
Advanced User Joined: 02 Mar 2013 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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Posted: 12 Apr 2013 at 4:19am |
Is there a way of disabling the model body outline when building a library?
When using the Diptrace output option, the body outline and the centroid marker ends up on the silkscreen layer, both of which can end up over the pads. |
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Tom H
Admin Group Joined: 05 Jan 2012 Location: San Diego, CA Status: Offline Points: 5717 |
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You can turn off any outline (Silkscreen, Assembly, Courtyard, 3D Model, Ref Des, etc.) by changing the line width to zero "0".
If you have the "Full Version" you can permanently turn off an outline in "Setup > User Preferences > Drafting (Tab)". If you have the "Lite Version" you have to manually do this in the "Drafting Tab" for every new footprint. |
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dwaltoneng
Advanced User Joined: 02 Mar 2013 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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I tried that, but if I set "Model Body Outline Width" to zero, it gives an error "Entry must be greater than zero" and sets it back to the previous value.
The courtyard also ends up on the silkscreen with a width of 0.05. Does this cause a problem with the PCB manufacturers, as a lot of them can't print lines that small. Do I just attach a note saying, I don't mind if the silkscreen lines thinner than 0.12 are partially printed or not visible. |
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dwaltoneng
Advanced User Joined: 02 Mar 2013 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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I don't know what is happening here, this thread has been moved to bug reports, and now back to questions and answers. But my last questions have not been answered.
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Jeff.M
Admin Group Joined: 16 May 2012 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 477 |
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Fixed in V2012.50.
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dwaltoneng
Advanced User Joined: 02 Mar 2013 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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This is not fixed in V2012.50. I just downloaded V2012.51 this morning and I still can't set the "Model Body Outline Width" to zero. |
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dwaltoneng
Advanced User Joined: 02 Mar 2013 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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How do I address this issue? I don't want to turn off the courtyard. Is it even a problem? |
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Jeff.M
Admin Group Joined: 16 May 2012 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 477 |
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The model outline isn't part of the translated output so there's no provision for turning it off other than turning off the 'Model Outline' layer in the FPX viewer display.
The courtyard layer is never part of the CAM output. It's only there to enhance your CAD DFM checking to prevent parts from being placed with overlapping courtyards. You shouldn't need to include any notes to your Fab shop.
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dwaltoneng
Advanced User Joined: 02 Mar 2013 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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The fact is that using the default options with the DipTrace output, and importing into Diptrace leaves silkscreen traces over pads. The centroid marker covers pads on small components (this can be turned off). Perhaps it is not the model body outline that is the problem, it is something with a 0.001mm width and matches the component outline that ends up on the silkscreen. The courtyard is placed on the silkscreen layer when imported into DipTrace.
I assume you have actually tested this with DipTrace, can you tell me if I need to change any of the default options in the full version of PCB Footprint Expert to make it work? Some of the things that need to be changed from default are: Turn off the centroid marker. Set the PADS output format to 2007. Turn off the model body outline? Some other problems that are DipTrace issues. Diptrace currently won't import a component where all the pads are not the same shape. For a QFN I have to manually edit the PADS file to remove extra pad definitions, import into DipTrace then edit the incorrect pads back to the correct shape. DipTrace does not import the paste mask, so for QFN parts I have to add the crosshatched paste mask using the DipTrace pattern editor. Diptrace can't do batch updates of component footprints. You have to manually re-attach the footprint to each component when you make a change to the library. This is a real pain when you have a significant number of components using the same footprint. |
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jameshead
Expert User Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Status: Offline Points: 576 |
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Hi David,
I hope you don't mind if I but in here but it sounds like my experience in importing PADS ascii into Pulsonix may be relevant. I think you're using the PADS ascii output for import to Diptrace rather like I use the PADS ascii for import into Pulsonix. The 3D body outline is on PADS layer "25" and the courtyard and crosshair are on PADS layer "20". The Pulsonix PADS ascii importer lets you create a mapping file that will map PADS layer numbers to specific layers in Pulsonix. The guide for importing PADS ascii into Pulsonix is here, if you want to see: http://www.pcblibraries.com/products/fpx/userguide/default.asp?ch=201 I map PADS layer 20 (the courtyard) to a layer in Pulsonix called "Placement Area Top" in Pulsonix. If you don't use a mapping file, or don't include mapping for PADS layers 25 and 20 in Pulsonix then Pulsonix will still import all data on these layers but import them to the silkscreen layer by default. The PADS ascii import for free version of DipTrace doesn't have any "mapping" option that I can see so I guess DipTrace does the same and imports anything on layers 20 and 25 to the silkscreen by default. Your options appear to be to change the Preferences in FPX to a line width of 0 for "Courtyard Outline Width" and "Model Body Outline Width", disable "Include Centroid Marker" to prevent these being included in the PADS ascii output, or ask the DipTrace authors to include some form of layer mapping for PADS ascii import. |
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