kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[jp charras <jp.charras@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Le 03/06/2014 19:27, Vesa Solonen a écrit :
> While working on the footprint library convention, the lack of extended
> mechanical and production aid layers got in the way. Why, how and
> revealing pictures in [1].
> 
> We would like to get extended layers part sorted in our draft and the
> final document. To make it available for production it would need some
> kind of an impelementation. The implementation is planned as one of the
> CERN work packages [2] and it seems an usable implementation is already
> in Lorenzo's branch [3].
> 
> The question is how to shape [3] so that it satisfies CERN work package
> contents (or a part of it) and gets included in the mainline.
> 
> Best regards,
> -Vesa
> 
> 
> [1] https://lists.launchpad.net/kicad-lib-committers/msg00155.html
> [2] http://www.ohwr.org/projects/cern-kicad/wiki/WorkPackages
> [3] https://code.launchpad.net/~l-marcantonio/kicad/isofont-stuff
> 

What kind of not yet existing layers is actually needed ?

If you are talking about assembly layers, they exists, and they are
called (for historical reasons) adhesive layers.
They are paired layers like silkscreen layers.

If you are talking about courtyard, it can be seen like a DRC
constraint, not necessary a board layer.
Which is very different from a copper layer or a technical layer.
It could be a new feature, which does not imply a new layer, at least in
board and footprint files.

I want to know *exactly* what do you want to put on silkscreen layer, on
assembly layer, and what do you expect from a courtyard layer.


The mails about the footprint library convention are *not* clear about that.


Currently, which very few changes in code, 3 layers can be added.
(There are 29 layers, and the current limit is 32)

Adding much more layers is not only a matter of changes in code relative
to layers id.
This is also a lot of work to redesign the layer manager, and print and
plot dialogs.
For instance adding layer groups ( with a layer group editor ...),
because you cannot manage 64 layers and more like 30 layers.
You need a tool to group and filter these layers, and combine them at
print/plot time.

-- 
Jean-Pierre CHARRAS