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Creating a board outline made of multiple line segments

D Campbell

Hello everyone,

I'm pretty new to OrCAD and PCB design so this is probably pretty simple.  I have a board outline that is made of multiple line segments and curves.  I want to use the 'Z-Copy Shape' Command to create a package keepin that is slightly smaller than the board outline.  When I attempt this I get this error 'Not a closed polygon or CLine. Element ignored!'  Which makes sense because it was made up of multiple line segments and maybe that causes a problem.  I chamfered all the corners just to make sure they were connected but that didn't seem to fix it.  The line segments do not have a break in them and the polygon they form is enclosed.  

Is there a way to have OrCAD recognize this as an enclosed shape or some other way to accomplish this?

Thank you!  If any other information would be useful please let me know.  

I am using 16.3.

  • redwire
    Yes. Use the "Shape->Compose Shape" menu item. Z-copies need to be closed shapes. Not a fan of lines for board outline but a lot of beginners use this method.
  • D Campbell

    Thank you!  That was exactly what I needed.  

    What would be the better way to make board outlines?

  • docb

    I have that same question about what to make outlines, if not lines. The PCB wizard makes outline as lines.

  • SevenFortyOneB
    I like to create the initial outline using lines, especially for complex board shapes where I import a .DXF file, and then turn it into a shape as mentioned above. Then, I'll decompose the shape back into lines again. This ensures I have a clean, contiguous, outline but allows me to increase the width of the line a little for visual purposes.
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