kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Cirilo Bernardo <cirilo.bernardo@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Jan 12, 2016 at 10:06 AM, Mathias Grimmberger <mgri@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

>
> Hi all,
>
> I refreshed a part of my patch for rounded rectangle pads (minus the
> plotting stuff, OpenGL canvas, stuff I probably forgot) so everybody
> interested can have a look and play a bit with it, see below.
>
> Now to my question: is there interest in this stuff, is there maybe a
> different plan in the works to get roundrect pads - I seem to remember
> talk about arbitrary pad shapes?
>
> Thanks,
>
> MGri
>
>
>
[snip]

I'd like to implement arbitrary pad shapes but this requires a functional 2D
geometry kernel first. I'm starting on one but I may have nothing to
demonstrate
until the end of the year. My plans are:

1. develop the geometry kernel + tools to generate PostScript for
evaluating and
documenting the kernel

2. demonstrate how tracks can be represented as line and arc segments and
how
DRC can be performed using the 2D objects.

3. demonstrate how pads can be represented by line and arc segments and how
this relates to DRC.

4. demonstrate how a pad can implement filleting (teardrop) or chamfering
where
the track/tracks joins the pad.

5. demonstrate how fill zones can be represented by line and arc segments,
how
DRC can be performed, and how the final zone outline can be calculated. I
also
want to demonstrate fill patterns in the zones to implement copper thieving
and
also hatched copper fills.

When all that is done and carefully tested then comes the task of adjusting
kicad to make use of the geometry kernel to represent its pads and tracks,
and hopefully also zones. If that ever happens it will be an enormous task
which will affect the plotting, DRC, routing code, and of course the file
format.
Personally I think it would be a good thing because we can eliminate these
horrible piecewise approximations of circular arcs, implement arc tracks,
and
implement various other features which are difficult and clumsy to implement
with the current data models. So - don't hold your breath waiting for
changes,
this is far from a trivial task.

- Cirilo