What's Good About Allegro PCB Editor Flipping and Origins? Look to SPB16.3 and See!

There are a couple quick new SPB16.3 Allegro PCB Editor features to mention this week.

Flip Design

Viewing a layout from the bottom side is now available through the flipdesign (View — Flip Design) command or flip icon . The design is flipped about the Y axis.

A true bottom side view from a CAD system is essential when debugging a board in the lab or probing on the manufacturing floor. Design editing can also be done when the design has been flipped.

You can watch a movie HERE!

Notes:

Grids cannot be displayed when the design is flipped.

When a design is flipped and saved the drawing will reopen in the non-flipped version.

When creating an IPF (Intermediate Plot File) the non-flipped version is created regardless of view.

Flip design is available in all product tiers as well as the viewers and up and requires OpenGL to be enabled.

Drawing Origin

Prior to the SPB16.3 version of Allegro PCB Editor there was no intuitive way to specify or display the drawing origin.

The Design Parameters form contains a "Move Origin" box with X and Y fields which you can specify a number of units to adjust the drawing origin -- but this is not interactive and requires calculations. A new command, chg origin (Setup — Change Drawing Origin), provides the capability to easily locate the drawing origin by digitizing a pick point or using Allegro PCB Editors 'Snap to' functionality.

The drawing origin can also be displayed on the canvas. It is denoted by a circle with cross hairs and can be enabled from the Enhanced Display Modes settings in the Design Parameters form:

The color of the origin can be set in the "Drawing Format" folder of the Color dialog:

 
Changing the design origin

There are three ways to change the design origin, mouse driven, specifying the XY and using the "snap to" functionality:
1.    Mouse Driven
Select Setup — Change Drawing Origin.
Digitize, with your left mouse button a space in the editing canvas.

2.    Specify the XY location
Select Setup — Change Drawing Origin.
Select the "P"button located at the bottom edge of the display canvas
Enter values for the X and Y and then select "Pick"
OR enter the X and Y locations at the Allegro command line e.g. X 100, 500 followed by <enter>

3.    Using Allegro's 'Snap to" functionality.
Select Setup — Change Drawing Origin.
Hover over the element to snap to, such as a mounting hole.
Use your right mouse button functionality Snap pick to — Pin or other element.

Please share your experiences with these new capabilities!

Jerry "GenPart" Grzenia