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Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:33:48 -0500
From: Dan McMahill <dan AT mcmahill DOT net>
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To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: [geda-user] Standalone DRC for Gerber files
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On 1/13/2012 11:04 AM, Peter Stuge wrote:
> Colin D Bennett wrote:
>> Ideally.... it would be REALLY awesome if there were a way to import
>> Gerbers into pcb
> 
> Do gerbers have traces and widths, or only outlines?
> 

Both.  In the ancient days, RS274-D was the format.  These files drove a
mechanical photo plotter that used a mechanical aperture card (something
with holes that would allow light to pass).  The commands would
basically select which aperture, turn on/off the light, and move the
photo sensitive film around.  Think if it as drawing with a bunch of
markers of different tip shapes.  If you wanted to draw a large area of
copper, you literally drew back and forth until it was all colored in.

That is ancient history.  Now we have RS274-X which is more like cavemen
instead of dinosaurs in terms of computer age ;)  But RS274-X allows
polygons represented by outlines and some much more complicated
operations.  The good news is that it is more expressive.  The bad news
is it makes it harder to do a direct translation into traces and
polygons in pcb.

It does occur to me though.... a RS274-X import into pcb often is
requested.  It would be relatively simply to import a drill file.  The
catch is that this would only get the drill locations and sizes but not
the pads associated with the holes.

-Dan