Documentation

CAM Plots

10 min read

The CAM Plots dialog is used to define all the outputs you will need, to check and manufacture your design.

If you just want to make a quick preview printout of the current view of your design, you can use the Print option from the File menu.

Shortcuts

Default Keys: T

Command: Technology

Default Keys: Shift+P

Command: CAM/Plots

Locating this option

Available from: Setup menu > Technology option > Design - CAM Plots page

Available from: Output menu > CAM/Plots option

CAM Plots

The CAM Plots dialog is available through the Technology dialog and through the Output CAM Plots option. Both dialogs have the same main display, navigation buttons and information panel at the bottom of the dialog. The main difference are the extra navigation tabs at the top of the dialog used in the CAM/Plots dialog accessible from the Output menu.

Through these dialogs you can add and review all the plots you will require to check and manufacture your design. When creating a PCB, your manufacturing outputs are closely related to the number and type of layers you are using. You can, therefore, setup your plots in a Technology file so they will be ready to use in any design created using that Technology.

Technology - CAM Plots

Output menu - CAM Plots

Showing the additional functionality tabs across the top of the dialog:

The buttons to the right side of the dialog are used to navigate the grid, the general common buttons are detailed on the Technology Navigation page. There are some exceptions listed below:

The New button will start the Plot Wizard to create a new plot. If you had an existing plot selected when you pressed the New button, the new plot is loaded with the information from the existing plot. This allows you to easily create a new plot like an existing one.

The Edit button is only enabled if you have selected a plot in the grid. Click in one of the fields of the plot you wish to edit, then press the Edit button. You are taken through the Plot Wizard which is the same as when you press New.

If no plots are currently defined, you will have the option to use the Auto Generate dialog to generate a set of plots which cover each layer.

The Copy button is only enabled if you have selected a plot in the grid. Click in one of the fields of the plot you wish to copy, and press the Copy button. This will produce a copy of the current plot, along with all the additional plots. The plot will have a modified name along the lines of ” Copy”.

Additional buttons, Delete, Delete All, Up/Down, to the right side of the dialog are used to navigate the grid, the general common buttons are detailed on the Technology Navigation page.

The Add To Plot button is only enabled if you have selected an existing plot in the grid. It enables you to add another layer to the same plot, to build up a composite of more than one layer. For example, you might want to add a Top Silkscreen to a Top electrical layer for a PDF plot. Selecting this button takes you into a very simple wizard which allows you to define the additional layer to be plotted and any exclusions you may want. It is possible to Offset this relative to the main plot.

The Auto Gen button is used to create a set of plots if none have already been defined or used to completely regenerate and reset a full set of plots covering each Layer in your PCB design. Only use this option if you wish to redefine all your plots, it should be used with care.

The Reports button will generate a summary report listing the plots and their settings, in case you need to keep this for future reference.

Pressing the Step & Repeat button takes you to the Step & Repeat dialog, which allows you to define the Step and Repeat values for the current design.

The Show All Groups button will display all groups if they have been closed using the Show This Group Only from the context menu on the Group field.

Generating Plots

The Run button allows you to produce all the currently enabled plots with a single click.

The Apply button allows you to define a set of plots and save them without running an output.

The Cancel button is active if no changes have been made and if Apply has not been pressed. Once apply has been pressed, the Cancel button changes to Close, enabling you to close the dialog with all changes saved.

What is a CAM Plot?

Each CAM plot contains the parameters needed to generate a plot in conjunction with the appropriate Output Device Settings. Some of these parameters are presented in the CAM Plot grid for quick reference and editing. Some other parameters can only be edited through the Plot Wizard.

Column Headers

Each column header is described below:

Name : the name of the plot. The name must be unique and ideally descriptive.

Enabled : only plots which are enabled are output when the Run button is clicked.

Group : gives the names of the plot Groups, if any are defined. You can enable or disable groups of plots using the context menu. In particular, the Enable Selected Group command, on the context menu, will enable the group and disable all other plots allowing you to quickly switch between groups. Use the context menu to Show This Group Only. There is a button on the right of the dialog to Show All Groups again.

Device Type : the type of output being produced. This corresponds with the devices defined in the Output Device Settings dialog. The Device Type can be:

Process : this field defines what is to be processed, in a PCB plot this is a Layer or Layer Span. If the plot type is a Format File, this is the name of the user report to be run.

Variant : this field in only present if the design has variants defined. It specifies which particular variant is to be plotted. It is possible to select a named variant or in which case the output will be produced for the entire design independent of any particular variant. It is also possible to select in which case output will be produced for which ever variant is selected as the ‘Current’ variant at the time the plot is run. Components not-fitted in the chosen variant will be excluded from the plot, although this may be overridden by using the Plot Not-Fitted Components option on the Variants Manager dialog.

Scale : this defines the size of the plot. Using Auto Fit causes the plot to be scaled to fit the Output Device. Otherwise a scale factor can be specified, this would normally be 1.0. In the grid you can select from the scale factors provided in the drop-down list or alternatively type in your own custom scale factor.

Rotate : this defines the orientation of the plot, this can be no rotation, or a 90 degree anti-clockwise rotation. Auto Rotate causes the plot to rotate when necessary to get a better fit onto the Output Device. Otherwise you can explicitly define the rotation.

Mirror : this defines if the output is to be mirrored.

Position : this defines the positioning of the plot on the Output Device. This position is relative to the Area defined below (for example Lower Left of . It is used in conjunction with the Registration Point defined in the Output Device. If either the plot position or the Output Device Registration point are defined as Auto Shift, the plot will be automatically placed on the plot area. Otherwise the various position options define a point on the design which must correspond with the Output Device Registration point.

Note: For additional plots, the Scale, Rotation, Mirror and Position are relative to the main plot.

Area : this defines which area of the design to plot. This can be one of the following:

  • - the extents of all the graphical items currently in the design.
  • - the complete area of the defined coordinates. (see Design Settings).
  • - the extents of all board outlines.
  • Named Area - the extents of a named area.

Step Repeat : this defines if the plot should use the Step & Repeat values for the current design. These can be set using the Step & Repeat dialog.

Exclude Items : this option is only available in the Plot Wizard. It can be used to exclude certain types of items or attributes from your plot. This option is only available through the Plot Wizard. By default, the only excluded item is the attribute position from PCB plots. To selectively plot pads you should consider setting up Layers using a suitable Layer Class.

Plot String : you can optionally provide a string which is used to satisfy any Attribute Positions of type placed on your design. You can also use this string as part of the output file name. This could be used to define a reference number or other identifier on your output.

File Extension : For a Gerber or NC Drill plot, you can specify an explicit file extension. This will override the default file extension for this plot only. Leave this field blank if you want to use the “default extension for this type of output.

You can produce a combined plot, that is a plot of more than one layer on a single plot. To do this use the Add To Plot button.

Using the dialog

The CAM Plots dialog is one of the pages on the Technology dialog, it is also one of the pages on the CAM/Plots Output dialog. Choose “Technology” from the “Setup” menu, or use the toolbar icon or shortcut key for “Technology”, then click on the CAM/Plots tab. OR Choose CAM/Plot from the Output menu, or use the toolbar icon or shortcut key for CAM/Plots, then click on the CAM/Plots tab.

The main part of the dialog is the grid, which shows all the plots currently defined for the design. Most of the plot parameters are displayed in this grid, and can be edited by just clicking the appropriate cell. For more detailed editing it is best to use the Plot Wizard (see Edit below). There is also a smaller panel at the bottom of the dialog which will tell you about any Layers which are not currently covered by at least one plot. The currently selected row is drawn in bold.

Technology Files | CAM Plot | Auto Generate CAM Plots | Plot Wizard | Drill Sizes | Plot Preview | Format Files | Layer Class | Output Device Settings | Print | Step & Repeat

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