Official Wish Lists for PowerPCB/Blaze

[randychase]

Please post what you think should be fixed. What you think should be added. This will be compiled and submitted to Innoveda/Mentor.


Wish List:

1. Toggle color output on PDF
2. Default drill output to include non-plated holes
3. More defines layer associations
4. Asign color to unconnected pads.
5. Set any background color.
6. Output copper floods to DXF without the parts.
7. Join/split 2d line items similar to AutoCAD polylines.
8. Protect free vias on a net as well as routes and unroutes.
9. True Type Font implementation.
10. View the attributes of a selected part in the "Library Manager" without having to edit the part.
11. More choices in the color boxes.

[randychase]

There should be a toggle on the CAM output. Right now, when you create PDFs, it uses the default net colors. In order to have all your pads and traces the same color (like black), you have to unassign the color to the nets. That is time consuming.

It should be an option, because I find many times the ability to output the nets with color to be great, like when highlighting the voltages or grounds...or a specific net for documentation. When the customer wants to see where his clock line runs, I can turn off colors to all nets but that one, make a PDF of it, and it stands out.

[randychase]

The default for the drill output should be to include the non-plated thru holes.

[jdegenova]

It would be nice to have more than the 4 pre-defined component layer associations available in the layer setup screen. This would allow for top and bottom side glue-mask or gold-mask layers to be created and not require workarounds.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Here are some things I'd like to see fixed/changed as soon as possible.

1. Change the color of any unconnected pads, either globally or by part, and allow the use of the background color.

2. Output copper floods to DXF without the parts. Presently if you de-select "Parts-Top" OR "Parts-Bottom" the "Copper Pour" automatically becomes de-selected and greyed out.

3. Join/split 2d line items similar to AutoCAD polylines.

4. Protect free vias on a net as well as routes and unroutes.

5. True Type Font implementation.

6. View the attributes of a selected part in the "Library Manager" without having to edit the part.

Ben

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Here is an enhancement I'm gonna keep asking for until and unless we get it. More colors (at least 256) and more control over the colors. Half of the 32 colors we now have are wasted by being "complementary" colors. It's more than just a little frustrating, especially thru-holes. Why do holes have to be colored according to layers? I can tell what layer I'm on by the color of the pad. It would free up some colors to make thru-holes the same color for all layers. I can't even think of any DOS programs released after MS DOS 5.0 that were so limiting in their color selection.

Ben

[randychase]

I do use settable colors for thru hole pads, but that is only for checking layer 25 planes, and we are probably moving away from Layer 25.

[Cadcrusher]

My wish is for control of Blazerouter passes. Being able to select the route types and number of passes it preforms.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Randy,

It's not the pads that bother me. They're part of the circuit. It's the holes. Ex: Two layer board. Top side routes and pads are set to red. Bottom side routes and pads set tp blue. Why do the holes have to be different colors for top and bottom? Why can't I set holes to be one color no matter what layer I'm viewing?

Ben

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Zoom extents vs. zoom visible extents. When I've got a bunch of stuff turned off I don't want to zoom to the extents of stuff I can't see (assembly text, fab notes, dimensions, etc...). Being able to zoom to the visible extents (much like CAM350) would really be helpful.

Ben

[Cadcrusher]

will zoom all

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

After seeing that I'm not the only one who gets frustrated with this. PowerPCB needs a better routine for placing continuity error markers. Sometimes it's enough to know there is an error, but not when you have 100's or even 1000's of pins on that net!

Ben

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

DXF output needs to be seriously cleaned up. Along with all the crap that AutoCAD doesn't need, PowerPCB seems to generate multiple instances of blocks (which causes AutoCAD to not load the DXF) if any of your footprints contain slots.

Ben

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Captured views (View -> Capture) should be saved with the database. "SaveAs" or closing the database deletes all saved views from the database. It would be incredibly helpful to be able to capture several views, give them intelligent names and use them in multiple sessions.

Ben

[jdegenova]

Typical situation: you have a 300 pin part, 150 of the nets have protected routes and you need to edit the decal, but it won't let you, even if you just want to edit the silkscreen. It sure would be nice to save the status of the protected routes to a file before you unprotect all the routes, so that you could restore them once you've changed the decal. The only way I know of now is to make a list of the 150 routes you unprotect, change the decal, then reprotect the 150 routes manually.

[randychase]

That when you are adding components by ECO manually (something I often do), you have the option of the ref des automatically filling in the first available number, or incrementing from the highest number (as it used to).

Not a big deal... but a small toggle would be nice.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

The undo feature needs to be completely revamped. It seems to be a relic of the old DOS days when every bit of RAM/HD space was crucial. Now there is now no reason for the undo buffer to ever be flushed, except on closing the program or opening a new database. Or better yet, the undo buffer could be written to a text file with a unique name for each database. Then we could undo all the way back to the start of the database.

Ben

[Mark Larson]

For plane nets in particular get away from the traditional ratnest, pin pair type connection. Each node on the net should be capable of having the eligible via, trace width, pad to via, ...and perhaps other perameters set.

Basically I'm asking for Pin rules.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

The .dxf output needs to be revamped before it makes the jump to the Latium architecture. Currently there is no way to get a good clean .dxf from PowerPCB. AutoCAD (or any other 2d package I've ever used) does not have any electrical intelligence, therefor it does not need most of the crap generated by PowerPCB. The .dxf also does not need to be comprised of blockes nested four levels deep. Polylines (with a toggle for plain lines) in combination with layers would work just fine. If someone from Pads/Innoveda/Mentor would like to see what a good .dxf should look like I'm more than willing to send one.

Ben

[phillipr]

I would like to see blaze latium design verify supporting unused pads

[jmatt]

You can add a keep-out to decals, but it can't be set for components.

I'd like to be able to do that.

We do a lot of work for one particular customer that requires large (.250") part keep-outs around any BGA. being able to build those in would be a great help. Of course, it would need to recognize that the part it's associated to is exempt form the part keep out...

[jdeking]

1) File -> Print
Not a CAM job, just File -> Print. What's on the screen. Not a bitmap (jaggies!). And not only in the PCB editor, but in the Decal editor as well!

2) Unplated holes that are not numbered pins.
Now this seems painfully obvious to me, and I'm sure that anyone who has had to add mounting holes to an existing alphanumeric device has experienced one of the problems that the "numbered pin" plan for unplated holes causes - suddenly you can't read in your alphanumerics because the pin count doesn't match. Sure it matches! You didn't add pins, not in any real sense; you were just forced to by the software. What is needed is "add unplated hole" as a complement to "add pin." After all, we're dealing with Mentor Graphics now; they understand this. They've had that ability forever :)

[jdegenova]

We have 3 hardlocks around here with different database limits. Everytime we swap hardlocks, we get the message "You have acquired a larger (or smaller) database limit than requested" pop-up message. I really don't care, please get rid of this message or at least only warn me one time, not repeatedly every time I start the program!

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

STANDARDVIA, get rid of it! I don't think anyone uses it but it keeps coming back, even if you delete it from the database.

Ben

[phillipr]

Connectivity checking

I would like to be able to do a connectivity check on an area
Maybe by selecting a group of nets.

[phillipr]

When selecting a group of nets by dragging a box or via a component i would like to be able to filter certain nets so they do not get selected.

[jdegenova]

I would like better control of CAM plane thermals. To make the ID 75 percent of OD just doesn't make sense, especially for larger holes. I would like to be able to define ID and OD for thermals in the padstack independant of the isolation pad diameter. Please don't reply and tell me to use split/mixed planes.

[Tom]

John,

We have complete control over all through hole thermal patterns. It's called "Custom Thermals". It was introduced 18 months ago with V4.0. Custom Thermals produce negative image CAM Planes without the use of Layer_25.

To define a Custom Thermal, go to the padstack generator and select the Inner Layer padstack and then select the "Pad Style" Pull Down (in the middle of the menu) and select Thermal. Then select the Round Pad and a complete thermal definition menu will appear. You can customize your thermals to be anything you want. Also, create your Custom Anti-pad for your plane clearance.

When you post process your data, select Custom Thermals in the Options Menu. Also, make sure that your Fill Width (in the aperture menu) is set to 0.05mm or 2 mil. PowerPCB uses the Fill Width to draw your Custom Thermals.

All 6,000 through hole parts in the pcbstandards.com library have Custom Thermals predefined. It's the only thing we use. We do not use Split/Mixed Planes nor do we use Layer_25 CAM Planes. We also have 60 Start Files with built in CAM Files that are completely set up for Custom Thermals. We got you covered.

[wheels]

Reports an actual clearance violation number instead of "less than #"

EX.

Current

Error 1 Location -400,700 Level 1
Distance between pad and track too small


this would be better!

Error 1 Location -400,700 Level 1
Distance between pad and track is .15 rule is .2


Also, being abile to select an error and view the violation text and set them to as being acceptable.

[jdegenova]

Thanks Tom for your insight. I've tried the custom thermals and it is nice to finally have this control. I was not impressed with the quality of the drawn thermals though. Even using 1 or 2 mil draw apertures, the edges are jagged. Also can't seem to get thermals on vias on some boards, haven't figured out why yet. I suppose my wish list request is now that Mentor put a little more time into the draw algorithm.

Originally posted by Tom Hausherr
John,

We have complete control over all through hole thermal patterns. It's called "Custom Thermals". It was introduced 18 months ago with V4.0. Custom Thermals produce negative image CAM Planes without the use of Layer_25.

To define a Custom Thermal, go to the padstack generator and select the Inner Layer padstack and then select the "Pad Style" Pull Down (in the middle of the menu) and select Thermal. Then select the Round Pad and a complete thermal definition menu will appear. You can customize your thermals to be anything you want. Also, create your Custom Anti-pad for your plane clearance.

When you post process your data, select Custom Thermals in the Options Menu. Also, make sure that your Fill Width (in the aperture menu) is set to 0.05mm or 2 mil. PowerPCB uses the Fill Width to draw your Custom Thermals.

All 6,000 through hole parts in the pcbstandards.com library have Custom Thermals predefined. It's the only thing we use. We do not use Split/Mixed Planes nor do we use Layer_25 CAM Planes. We also have 60 Start Files with built in CAM Files that are completely set up for Custom Thermals. We got you covered.

[JimR-OCDS]

I'd like to be able to set different spacing requirements for various vias. For example, have 10 mil spacing via to pad, for same net via's and 15 mils for all others.

[JimR-OCDS]

I also agree about cleaning up DFX from Pads. Currently, I have to create gerber files, read them into CAM350, then into AutoCad.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Please give us the ability to export the contents of the "Attribute List" dialog to a text file, or even better, to a spread sheet, but without the 200 character/line limit PowerLogic has built into the report output. You don't know how incredibly helpful this would be.

Ben

[Dick Belanger]

Originally posted by Kalatel-PC-Dude
Please give us the ability to export the contents of the "Attribute List" dialog to a text file, or even better, to a spread sheet, but without the 200 character/line limit PowerLogic has built into the report output. You don't know how incredibly helpful this would be.

Ben

You are right - I don't know why this would be incredibly helpful. Care to enlighten me? ;-)

PS - Did you get your SupportNet ID yet?

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Dick,

The format of the "Attribute List" dialog is almost exactly what we use for BOM creation. With only very minor tweaking (as opposed to MAJOR tweaking of the information from PowerLogic) we could output a BOM that our Oracle people would love us for, with a lot more versatility for the future.

Ben

PS - I've had my SupportNet ID for a couple of days. I just can't use it yet. I'm beginning to think it may be a problem on our end.

[phillipr]

Ben

Try the Vb Script Wizard.
You Can Genetate all sorts of Infomation in either notepad, excel or even Html

[Dick Belanger]

Yes, I would definitely give the PowerPCB Script Wizard a try. Tools/Basic Scripting/Basic Scripts. Select the PowerPCB Script Wizard, and Run. It will walk you through the process.

[jdegenova]

On the ASCII Output window there is a drop down for Units, which has two selections, "Basic" and "Current". So if you are working in metric and someone needs an ascii file in mils, you need to change your current units to mils in the preferences, make your ascii file, then change current units back to metric. If you are like me, you forget about units until you are already in the Ascii Output window, then have to go back and check the preferences. Can't the drop down menu just have 4 selections "Basic", "Inches", "Mils" and "Metric"?

[Tom]

Can't the drop down menu just have 4 selections "Basic", "Inches", "Mils" and "Metric"?
I would rather see these options: "Basic", "Inches", "Mils", "Millimeters" and "Microns".

Please do away with Metric and replace it with Millimeters AND Microns. Thank You!

[jdegenova]

In the library manager, it would be nice to have:
1. A Where-Used button for decals, currently the only method I know of is to ASCII out the library and use the search function in your favorite text editor.

2. In the "Part Information for Part - xxxx" window (the part type data window) it would be nice to have an "Edit" button in the "PCB Decals" tab tied to the current selection in the "Assigned Decals" listbox. That way when checking library symbols, you can check the part type, then click right into the decal instead of going back to the main lib. manager window, selecting the "Decals" button, typing the decal name in the filter box, then clicking the "Edit" button.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

It would also be nice to have more search options than "*" in the Library Manager. I can't say how many times I've wanted to search fo a resistor of X value in an 0805 package and had to sort through 30 or 40 parts because our part names use the package style at the end of the name. RES-100-*0805 would give MUCH better tesults than RES-100-*

Ben

[jdegenova]

I would like to see the addition of a "Protected" automation object to the NET data type. This would set or return the net's protected status.