kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Wayne Stambaugh <stambaughw@...>]

jean-pierre charras wrote:
> Lorenzo a écrit :
>> I'm refactoring that legacy mess that is the plotting code (i.e. whole routines completely duplicated for HPGL and PS, Gerber treated as 'special' needing aperture selection before operation and so on...)
>>
>> The final idea is to use a common Plotter interface... not that it could be useful but at the end you could plot a schematic on a .pho file :P:P (a WAY MORE useful application is to have the drill diagram as a layer to view over the other ones..)
>>
>> I've got a question about aperture usage/allocation... why do we use a different D-code for a round aperture used for drawing than for an identical aperture for flashing? (actually it will never happen, but anyway...)
>>
>> IIRC there is nothing in the RS274X spec that differentiate them...
>>
>> Is there a reason for this distinction? Maybe someone found some idiot plotter crashing on them?
>>
>> (eyeballing the specs in the meantime)
>> 
> This is not mandatory, but this was considered as a "good practice".
> Perhaps DRC and others controls at gerber lever are easier.
> 
> I am not sure HPGL is nowadays very useful.
> I am thinking it could be removed.
> 
Sorry I took so long to respond to this but I have been on vacation for
the past 10 days so I'm still catching up. Please don't remove HPGL
unless you can provide an alternative format for direct export to one of
the major CAD file formats (DXF, IGES, STEP, etc.). I currently use a
conversion program to convert HPGL to DXF so our mechanical designer can
easily import my PCB layouts. Some CAD programs offer Gerber support
but a significant cost. HPGL provides me an affordable alternative.

Thanks,

Wayne