mirror of https://github.com/rusefi/gerbmerge.git
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393 lines
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<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
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<META HTTP-EQUIV="Description" CONTENT="
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BEGIN PYTHON-PACKAGE-INFO 1.0
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Current-Version: 1.8
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Title: GerbMerge -- A Gerber-file merging program
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Home-page: http://ruggedcircuits.com/gerbmerge
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Description: Merges Gerber/Excellon circuit board files
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Keywords: Eagle Gerber Excellon merging panel panelizing merge PCB
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Author: Rugged Circuits LLC, mailto:support@ruggedcircuits.com
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Maintained-by: The author
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Primary-site: http://ruggedcircuits.com/gerbmerge
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Alternate-site: None
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Original-site: Same as primary site
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Platform: Unix/Windows/Mac
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Copying-policy: Free software, see copyright info below for details
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Difficulty-rating: Some installation required
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System-requirements: None
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Software-requirements: Python 2.4, eGenix mxBase 2.0.4, SimpleParse 2.0.0
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This program is useful for designers of electronic printed circuit boards. The
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program takes CAM data (Gerber RS274-X and Excellon format) output files from
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multiple jobs and combines them (i.e., panelizes) into a single job. Intended
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primarily for the Eagle CAD program, other CAD programs such as Orcad and PCB
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have been known to work.
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END PYTHON-PACKAGE-INFO
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">
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<TITLE>GerbMerge -- A Gerber-file merging program</TITLE>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff" LINK="#0000c0" VLINK="#8f008f">
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<!-- -->
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<P><FONT SIZE="+2">GerbMerge -- A Gerber-file merging program</FONT></P>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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<P><A HREF="http://ruggedcircuits.com/gerbmerge"><FONT
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SIZE="-1">Rugged Circuits LLC</FONT></A><FONT SIZE="-1"></FONT></P>
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<P><HR ALIGN=LEFT><TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" CELLSPACING="2"
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CELLPADDING="0">
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<TR>
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<TD>Top-Level | <A HREF="cfgfile.html">The Configuration File</A> | <A HREF="layoutfile.html">The Layout File</A> | <A HREF="autosearch.html">Automatic Placement</A></TD>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT"><FONT SIZE="-1">Version 1.8</FONT></TD>
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</TR>
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<TR>
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<TD><!-- --></TD>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT"><FONT SIZE="-1">June 8, 2011</FONT></TD>
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</TR>
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<TR>
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<TD>
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<FONT SIZE="-1"><A HREF="#Requirements">Requirements</A> | <A HREF="#Installation">Installation</A> |
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<A HREF="#Running">Running GerbMerge</A> | <A HREF="#Verifying">Verifying the Output</A> | <A HREF="#Limitations">Limitations</A> | <A HREF="#ProgramOptions">Program Options</A> | <A HREF="#Copyright">Copyright</A> | <A HREF="#Todo">To
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Do</A> | <A HREF="#Credits">Credits</A> | <A HREF="#History">History</A></FONT></TD>
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<TD><!-- --></TD>
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</TR>
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</TABLE><HR ALIGN=LEFT></P>
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<H2>What's New</H2>
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<P>In release 1.8:
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<UL>
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<LI>Released under more recent GPL v3 license</LI>
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<LI>Summary statistics prints out smallest drill tool diameter</LI>
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<LI>Added <A HREF="cfgfile.html#FiducialPoints"><TT>FiducialPoints</TT></A>, <A HREF="cfgfile.html#FiducialCopperDiameter"><TT>FiducialCopperDiameter</TT></A>, and <A HREF="cfgfile.html#FiducialMaskDiameter"><TT>FiducialMaskDiameter</TT></A> configuration options</LI>
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<LI>Added option to write fiducials to final panel</LI>
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<LI>Scoring lines now go all the way across a panel</LI>
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</UL>
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<P>In release 1.7:
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<UL>
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<LI>Added a new command-line option <TT>--search-timeout</TT> to time-limit the automatic placement process.</LI>
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<LI>Added preliminary support for a GUI controller interface.</LI>
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</UL>
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<P><A NAME="Introduction"></A></P>
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<H2>Introduction</H2>
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<P>GerbMerge is a program for combining (panelizing) the CAM data from multiple printed
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circuit board designs into a single set of CAM files. The purpose of
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doing so is to submit a single job to a board manufacturer, thereby saving on manufacturing costs.
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<P>GerbMerge currently works with:
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<UL>
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<LI>CAM data generated by the <A HREF="http://www.cadsoft.de">Eagle</A> circuit board
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design program, with "best effort" support for Orcad, Protel, and <A HREF="http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/pcb">PCB</A></LI>
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<LI>Artwork in Gerber RS274-X format</LI>
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<LI>Drill files in Excellon format</LI>
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</UL>
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Here is <A HREF="sample.jpg">one sample</A> and <A HREF="sample2.jpg">another sample</A> of the program's output. These samples
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demonstrate panelizing multiple, different jobs, and also demonstrate board rotation.
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<P><A NAME="Download"></A></P>
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<H2>Download</H2>
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<H3>Version 1.8</H3>
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<UL>
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<LI><A HREF="gerbmerge-1.8.win32.exe">Windows installer</A></LI>
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<LI><A HREF="gerbmerge-1.8.tar.gz">Source</A></LI>
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</UL>
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<P><A NAME="Requirements"></A></P>
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<H2>Requirements</H2>
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<P>GerbMerge is written in pure <A HREF="http://www.python.org">Python</A>. It
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depends upon the following packages for operation:
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<UL>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.python.org">Python</A> version 2.4 or later</LI>
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<LI><A HREF="http://simpleparse.sourceforge.net">SimpleParse</A> version 2.1.0 or later</LI>
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</UL>
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<P>All of the above packages come with easy installation programs for both Windows, Mac OS X,
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and Linux.
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<P><A NAME="Installation"></A></P>
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<H2>Installation</H2>
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<P>First, install all of the packages listed above in the Requirements section.
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<H3>Windows</H3>
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<P>Run the <TT>gerbmerge1.8.exe</TT> installation program. I will assume
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you choose all of the default installation options. The installer
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will create and populate the following directories:</P>
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<UL>
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<PRE>
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c:\Python24\lib\site-packages\gerbmerge
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c:\Python24\gerbmerge
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</PRE>
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</UL>
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<P>The above assumes you have Python installed in <TT>C:\Python24</TT>. The
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first directory is where the actual program resides. The second directory
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contains the documentation, example files, etc. In the <TT>C:\Python24</TT>
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directory is a sample batch file <TT>GERBMERGE.BAT</TT> which shows you how to
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run the GerbMerge program.
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<H3>Unix / Mac OS X</H3>
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<P>Extract the <TT>gerbmerge1.8.tar.gz</TT> file then install as follows:</P>
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<UL>
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<TT>python setup.py install</TT> (You may need to be root to install to system directories)
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</UL>
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<P>The installer will create and populate the following directories/files:</P>
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<UL>
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<PRE>
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/usr/local/lib/python2.4/site-packages/gerbmerge
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/usr/local/lib/python2.4/gerbmerge
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/usr/local/bin/gerbmerge
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</PRE>
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</UL>
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<P>The above assumes your Python library directory is as indicated (it may be
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elsewhere but the installer should be able to find it, so don't worry about
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it). The first directory is where the actual program resides. The second
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directory contains the documentation, example files, etc. A sample program for
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invoking GerbMerge is installed as <TT>/usr/local/bin/gerbmerge</TT>...feel free to move
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it somewhere else.
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<P>Not all Linux distributions are the same, however. If you have trouble, there is a useful set of instructions from <A HREF="http://blog.bhargavaz.us/2009/05/installing-gerbmerge-on-ubuntu-linux.html">Chetan Bhargava</A> for installing GerbMerge on Ubuntu distributions.
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<P><A NAME="Running"></A></P>
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<H2>Running GerbMerge</H2>
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<H3>Windows</H3>
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<P>Open a DOS box and invoke the Python interpreter on the <TT>gerbmerge.py</TT> file.
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Have a look at GERBMERGE.BAT (and put this on your Path somewhere) for an example.
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<PRE><CENTER>c:\python24\python c:\python24\lib\site-packages\gerbmerge\gerbmerge.py</CENTER></PRE>
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<H3>Unix / Mac OS X</H3>
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<P>You run GerbMerge by invoking the Python interpreter on the <TT>gerbmerge.py</TT>
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file of the <TT>gerbmerge</TT> package. For example:</P>
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<PRE><CENTER>python /usr/local/lib/python2.4/site-packages/gerbmerge/gerbmerge.py</CENTER></PRE>
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<P>The <TT>gerbmerge</TT> shell script that comes with this software contains an
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example for running GerbMerge, modelled on the above. By default, this shell
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script is installed in <TT>/usr/local/bin</TT> so you should just be able
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to type <TT>gerbmerge</TT> from a shell prompt.
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<H3>Operation</H3>
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There are three ways to run GerbMerge:
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<OL><LI>By manually specifying the relative placement of jobs</LI>
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<LI>By manually specifying the absolute placement of jobs</LI>
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<LI>By letting GerbMerge automatically search for a placement that minimizes total panel area</LI>
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</OL>
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<H4>Manual Relative Placement</H4>
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For the manual relative placement approach, GerbMerge needs two input text files:
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<UL>
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<LI><P>The <I>configuration file</I> specifies global options and defines the jobs
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to be panelized</LI>
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<LI><P>The <I>layout file</I> specifies how the jobs are to be laid out.</LI>
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</UL>
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<P>The names of these files are the two required parameters to GerbMerge:
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<PRE><CENTER>gerbmerge file.cfg file.def</CENTER></PRE>
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<P>The following links describe the contents of the <A HREF="cfgfile.html">configuration
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file</A> and <A HREF="layoutfile.html">layout file</A>.
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<H4>Manual Absolute Placement</H4>
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<P>For the manual absolute placement approach, GerbMerge also needs the configuration file
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as well as another text file that specifies where each job is located on the panel and
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whether or not it is rotated:
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<PRE><CENTER>gerbmerge --place-file=place.txt file.cfg</CENTER></PRE>
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<P>The <TT>place.txt</TT> file looks something like:
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<PRE>job1 0.100 0.100
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cpu 0.756 0.100
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cpu*rotated 1.35 1.50
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</PRE>
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<P>This method of placement is not meant for normal use. It can be used to recreate
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a previous invocation of GerbMerge, since GerbMerge saves its results in a text file
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(whose name is set in the <A HREF="cfgfile.html#MergeOutputFiles"><TT>[MergeOutputFiles]</TT></A>
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section of the configuration file) after every run. Thus, you can experiment with
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different parameters, save a placement you like, do some more experimentation, then return
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to the saved placement if necessary.
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<P>Alternatively, this method of placement can be used with third-party back ends that
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implement intelligent auto-placement algorithms, using GerbMerge only for doing the
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actual panelization.
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<H4>Automatic Placement</H4>
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<P>For the <A HREF="autosearch.html">automatic placement</A> approach, GerbMerge only needs the configuration file:
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<PRE><CENTER>gerbmerge file.cfg</CENTER></PRE>
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Command-line options can be used to modify the search algorithm. See the
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<A HREF="autosearch.html">Automatic Placement</A> page for more information.
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<H3>Input File Requirements</H3>
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GerbMerge requires the following input CAM files:
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<UL>
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<LI><P>Each job must have a Gerber file describing the board outline, which is assumed
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rectangular. In Eagle, a board outline is usually generated from the Dimension layer.
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This board outline is a width-0 line describing the physical extents of the board. If you're
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not using Eagle, you don't have to generate a width-0 rectangle, but GerbMerge does need
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to use some Gerber layer to determine the extents of the board. GerbMerge will take the maximum
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extents of all drawn objects in this layer as the extents of the board.</LI>
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<LI><P>Each job must have an Excellon drill file.</LI>
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<LI><P>Each job can have any number of optional Gerber files describing copper
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layers, silkscreen, solder masks, etc.</LI>
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<LI><P>All files must have the same offset and must be shown looking from the
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top of the board, i.e., not mirrored.</LI>
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<LI><P>Each job may have an optional tool list file indicating the tool names
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used in the Excellon file and the diameter of each tool. This file is not necessary
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if tool sizes are embedded in the Excellon file. A typical tool list file looks like:
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<PRE>
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T01 0.025in
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T02 0.032in
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T03 0.045in
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</PRE>
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</UL>
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<P><A NAME="Verifying"></A></P>
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<H2>Verifying the Output</H2>
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<P>Before sending your job to be manufactured, it is imperative that you verify
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the correctness of the output. Remember that GerbMerge comes with NO WARRANTY.
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Manufacturing circuit boards costs real money and a single mistake can render
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an entire lot of boards unusable.
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<P>I recommend the following programs for viewing the final output data. Take
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the time to become very familiar with at least one of these tools and to use
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it before every job you send out for manufacture.
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<DL>
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<DT><B>gerbv</B></DT>
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<DD>For Linux, the best option (currently) for viewing Gerber and Excellon files
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is the <A HREF="http://gerbv.sourceforge.net"><TT>gerbv</TT></A> program. Simply
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type in the names of all files generated by GerbMerge as parameters to <TT>gerbv</TT>:
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<CENTER><PRE>gerbv merged.*.ger merged.*.xln</PRE></CENTER></DD>
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<DT><B>GC-Prevue</B></DT>
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<DD><P>For Windows, <A HREF="http://www.graphicode.com">GC-Prevue</A> is a good program
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that I have used often. It is a free program. GraphiCode makes lots of other, more
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powerful Gerber manipulation and viewing programs but they are quite pricey ($495 and up).</DD>
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<DT><B>ViewMate</B></DT>
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<DD><P>Another free Windows program, <A HREF="http://www.pentalogix.com">ViewMate</A> is similar
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to GC-Prevue. I have not used ViewMate much, but that is mostly due to familiarity with
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GC-Prevue. The two programs are comparable, although I'm sure that someone who is much
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more familiar with both could point out some differences.</DD>
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</DL>
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<P><A NAME="Limitations"></A></P>
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<H2>Limitations</H2>
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<UL>
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<LI>This program has mainly been tested with output from the Eagle CAD program.
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Limited testing has been performed with Orcad, Protel, and PCB.
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Other CAD programs will NOT WORK with a very high probability, as the input
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parser is quite primitive.
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<P>If you have the need/motivation to adapt GerbMerge to other CAD programs,
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have a look at the <TT>gerber2pdf</TT> program. It is written in Python and
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implements a much more complete RS274-X input file parser. Combining GerbMerge
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with <TT>gerber2pdf</TT> should be a fairly simple exercise. Also, feel free to
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send us samples of Gerber/Excellon output of your CAD tool and we'll see if we can
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add support for it.
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<LI><P>This program handles apertures that are rectangles, ovals, circles, macros
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without parameters or operators, and Eagle octagons (which are defined using a macro with a single parameter, hence currently handled as a special case).
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<LI><P>The panelizing capabilities of this program do not allow for arbitrary
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placement of jobs, although there is a fair amount of flexibility.
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<LI><P>All jobs are assumed to be rectangular in shape. Non-rectangular jobs
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can be handled but will lead to wasted space in the final panel.
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<LI><P>A maximum of 26 different drill sizes is supported for generating a
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fabrication drawing.</LI>
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</UL>
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<P><A NAME="ProgramOptions"></A></P>
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<H2>Program Options</H2>
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<DL>
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<DT>--octagons=normal</DT>
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<DT>--octagons=rotate</DT>
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<DD>The <TT>--octagons</TT> option affects how the octagon aperture is defined in the output files. The parameter
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to this option must either be <TT>rotate</TT> or <TT>normal</TT>. Normally,
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octagons begin at an angle of 22.5 degrees, but some Gerber viewers have a problem
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with that (notably CircuitMaker from LPKF). These programs expect octagons to begin
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at 0.0 degrees.
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<P>The <TT>--octagons=normal</TT> option is the default (22.5 degrees) and need not
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be specified. A rotation of 0.0 degrees can be achieved by specifying <TT>--octagons=rotate</TT>.</DD>
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<P><DT>--random-search</DT>
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<DD>This option is the default when only a configuration file is specified (see the documentation on <A HREF="autosearch.html">Automatic Placement</A> for more information). It indicates that a randomized search of possible job tilings is
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to be performed. This option does not make sense when a layout file is specified.</DD>
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<P><DT>--full-search</DT>
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<DD>This option may be specified to indicate that all possible job tilings are to be searched (see the documentation on <A HREF="autosearch.html">Automatic Placement</A> for more information). This option does not make sense when a layout file
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is specified.</DD>
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<P><DT>--rs-fsjobs=N</DT>
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<DD>This option is used with randomized search to indicate how many jobs are to undergo full search for each tiling. See the documentation on <A HREF="autosearch.html">Automatic Placement</A> for more information.</DD>
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<P><DT>--place-file=filename</DT>
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<DD>This option performs a panel layout based upon absolute job positions in
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the given text file, rather than by random/full search or by a layout file.
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The placement file created by GerbMerge can be used as an input file to
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this option in order to recreate a previous layout.</DD>
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<P><DT>--no-trim-gerber</DT>
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<DD>This option prevents GerbMerge from trying to trim all Gerber data to lie within the
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extents of a given job's board outline. Normally, GerbMerge will try to do so to prevent
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one job's Gerber data (most notably, silkscreen lines for connectors that protrude from
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the board) from interfering with a neighboring job on the final panel. Specify this
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command-line option if you do not want this trimming to occur.</DD>
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<P><DT>--no-trim-excellon</DT>
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<DD>This option prevents GerbMerge from trying to trim all Excellon data to lie within the
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extents of a given job's board outline. Normally, GerbMerge will try to do so to prevent
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one job's drill holes from landing in the middle of a neighboring job on the final panel. Specify
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this command-line option if you do not want this trimming to occur.</DD>
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<P><DT>--search-timeout=seconds</DT>
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<DD>When random placements are used, this option can be used to automatically terminate the
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search process after the specified number of seconds. If the number of seconds is 0 or this
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option is not specified, then random placements are tried forever, until Ctrl-C is pressed
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to stop the process and keep the best placement so far.</DD>
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<P><DT>-h, --help</DT>
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<DD>The '<TT>-h</TT>' or '<TT>--help</TT>' option prints a brief summary of available options.
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<P><DT>-v, --version</DT>
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<DD>The '<TT>-v</TT>' or '<TT>--version</TT>' option prints the current program version and author contact information.</DD>
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</DL>
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<P><A NAME="Copyright"></A></P>
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<H2>Copyright & License</H2>
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<P>Copyright © 2011 <A HREF="http://ruggedcircuits.com">Rugged Circuits LLC</A>. All Rights Reserved.
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mailto: <A HREF="mailto:support@ruggedcircuits.com?subject=GerbMerge">support@ruggedcircuits.com</A>
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<P>GerbMerge comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This
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is free software licensed under the terms of the <A HREF="gpl.html">GNU General
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Public License</A> Version 3. You are welcome to redistribute this software
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under certain conditions. For more details, see the previous link or
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visit <A HREF="http://www.fsf.org">The Free Software Foundation</A>.
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<P><A NAME="Todo"></A></P>
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<H2>To Do</H2>
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<OL>
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<LI>Accept outputs from more CAD programs</LI>
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<LI>A graphical interface for interactive placement</LI>
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<LI>Better reporting of parse errors in the layout and configuration files</LI>
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<LI>Implement simple primitive for panelizing a single job in an array</LI>
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<LI>More intelligent placement algorithms, possibly based on the fabric cutting problem.</LI>
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<LI>Accept aperture macro parameters and operators
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</OL>
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<P><A NAME="Credits"></A></P>
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<H2>Credits</H2>
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<P>Thanks to Jace Browning for major contributions to this code. This help file is based on a template for the help file for mxTools
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by <A HREF="http://starship.python.net/crew/lemburg">M.A. Lemburg</A>.
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This software was created with <A HREF="http://www.vim.org/">VIM</A>;
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thanks to the authors of this program and special thanks for
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the Python syntax support. Thanks to M.A. Lemburg for his
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<A HREF="http://www.egenix.com/files/python/eGenix-mx-Extensions.html">mxBase</A>
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package, Mike Fletcher for his
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<A HREF="http://simpleparse.sourceforge.net">SimpleParse</A> package, and
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the authors of <A HREF="http://gerbv.sourceforge.net">gerbv</A>, a great
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Gerber file viewer for Linux/Mac OS X, and, of course, to the
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<A HREF="http://www.python.org">Python</A> developers and
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support community.</P>
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<P>Thanks to Joe Pighetti for making me start writing this program, and to
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the Grand Valley State University Firefighting Robot Team for making me finish it.</P>
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<P>Thanks to Matt Kavalauskas for identifying Eagle's annulus and thermal macros and supporting
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the development of the aperture macro code.</P>
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<P>Thanks to Bohdan Zograf for the <A HREF="http://webhostingrating.com/libs/gerbmerge-be">Belorussian translation</A> of this documentation.</P>
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<HR ALIGN=LEFT>
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<P><CENTER><FONT SIZE="-1">© 2003-2011, Copyright by <A HREF="http://ruggedcircuits.com">Rugged Circuits LLC</A>; All Rights Reserved. mailto: <A HREF="mailto:support@ruggedcircuits.com?subject=GerbMerge">support@ruggedcircuits.com</A></FONT></CENTER>
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