Use this to set up preferences that affect how items behave when being Moved in a PCB or Schematic design.
Shortcuts
Default Keys: O
Default Menu: Tools
Command: Options
Locating this option
Available from: Tools menu > Options > Move page
Using the Move Tab
All of these options are saved to the registry, so they apply to all the designs you load into the application. Most of these switches can be changed using the shortcut menu whilst moving relevant design items. Some options are PCB only and do not appear when editing a schematic design.
Auto Weld
Auto Weld is used during Move to attach the moving item to a static item it is over.
- Auto Weld On Drop - Enable this to automatically perform Auto Weld every time a moving item is dropped at its required position. Alternatively, leave this unchecked and use the Auto Weld Now option from the shortcut menu whilst moving items.
- Allow Weld To Split Tracks/Connections - Enable this to allow moving pads, track ends or schematic connection ends to be welded to the middle of static tracks or schematic connections. Leave unchecked to only allow the ends to be welded.
- Show Weld Spots - Check this to display spots of colour during move at places where a weld may be attempted. Enter the Size that you want the spots be in design units. Setting the size to zero will use the default size.
Snap To Construction Lines
You can use multiple construction lines to define a irregular matrix of points to be used as a grid in the design. Items being moved can be snapped to these lines using the Snap To Construction Lines option. This makes the construction lines and intersection points act as magnets to attract the moving item when it is near to them.
If the item is near to an intersection between two construction lines it will snap directly onto that point, otherwise if it is near to a construction line it will snap to the nearest point on the construction line that is gridded in either direction. If the item is not near to a construction line it is gridded normally. So if you want the item to always snap directly onto a construction line, set the set the snap distance to a large value.
The snap distance that is used to determine if the moving item is close to a construction line, uses the either a fixed distance or a number of grid steps. Use the Within Set Distance box to enter a fixed distance value, or use the Width Grid Steps box to enter a number of steps.
Component Pushing (Push Aside)
These are PCB only options. Whilst moving components, the option is available to push other components out of the way in order to make room for the moving component. Components that are locked will not be pushed, and components will not be pushed outside of the board outline. The way this works is governed by the following parameters:
- Push Mode
- Continuous - Stationary components are continuously pushed out of the way whilst moving components.
- Never - No push aside done.
- On Drop - You can move the components to anywhere and when dropped any components in the way will be moved aside to make room for the dropped ones.
- Push Direction - Says which direction the stationary components can be pushed. Choose from Horizontal, Vertical or Both.
- Spring Back - Use this to allow components that are being pushed to be able to return to their original position if it becomes free.
Force Vector
This is a PCB only option. The force vector is an visible indicator that shows you how far, and in which direction, to move the dynamic items to their ‘optimal’ position.
This position is where the nets attached to the moving items would be balanced to reduce overall connection length and avoid very long and very short connections. In other words to place the items where they are not too close nor too far from other stationary items on the same nets. If you consider the connections from the moving items to the stationary ones as springs, the optimal position is where the moving items would come to rest if you ‘let go’.
The force vector is drawn using the Highlight Colour. There are two types of indicator available as follows:
- Long Arrow - An arrow is drawn from the centre of the moving items to the optimal position.
- Compass - A circle is drawn centred on the moving items with a small arrow on it pointing towards the optimal position. Another filled circle is drawn inside this circle to indicate how far away the optimal position is. The filled circle gets smaller as you get closer to the optimal position.
Whilst moving items on nets, you can right click the mouse to use the shortcut menu options Optimal Position and Optimal Rotation to take the items to the position pointed to by the force vector.
The exclusion of certain net types can also be toggled:
- The Include Power Net switch allows you to chose whether or not to include power net in the calculation of the most optimal point.
- The Include Ground Net switch allows you to choose whether or not to include the ground net in the calculation of the most optimal point.
Optimise Connections
When moving items that are on nets, the dynamic items are connected to stationary items. Where these connections are not tracks, unrouted connections are drawn from the moving items to the static ones. You have the choice of how these unrouted connections behave using the Optimise parameter as follows:-
- Continuous - The nets attached to the moving items are continuously optimised on the fly to show the minimum unrouted connections required to connect to the moving item at it’s current position.
- Never - The unrouted connections are not optimised. They stay connected to the same stationary item that they were originally connected to.
- On Drop - The unrouted connections are not altered whilst dynamic, but as soon as you drop the component into it’s required position, all nets attached to the moving items are Optimised.
If using Continuous or On Drop you can choose if the optimisation performed at the end uses a quick method (like used for Continuous whilst on the fly), or uses the full optimisation method. The quick method does not fully optimise large nets or connections to power planes.
Large Nets - in addition, you can specify the number of nodes that defines what you consider to be a large net. This value is used to:
- Specify that Optimise Nets should ignore ‘large’ nets at the end of an interactive operation. The purpose of this is to allow the application to be as responsive as possible during interactive editing.
- Warn that large nets are about to be optimised when using the All Nets Optimise option on the tools menu. The Optimising Large Nets warning has to be enabled in Options Warnings for this to occur.
If you wish Optimise on drop to process every net regardless of its complexity, then set the Large Net value to zero.
Dynamic Align
Dynamic Align is used during Move to snap items being moved to other items in the design.
- Screen Snap Tolerance - Value for the tolerance at which an item will snap to another item during move. The tolerance will remain the same screen distance regardless of the current zoom level.
- Align With
- Extents - Any item will snap to another item’s extents during move. Extents is the total circumference of a shape.
- Original Position - Any item will snap to its Original Position during move.
- Pads - Pads, Components/Symbols and Vias will snap to another item’s Pad during move.
- Vias - Pads, Components/Symbols and Vias will snap to Vias during move.
Show Placement Origin
Check this box if you want to see an origin marker when moving items. This will indicate the position that is shown on the status bar.
Move Cursor To Placement Origin
Check this box if you want the cursor to be initially moved to the original placement origin. This will only apply if the picked item in the selection has an origin, i.e. it is a text item or uses a symbol (e.g. component, signal reference, documentation symbol, block instance etc.) or if a temporary selection origin has been explicitly created for the move.
Rotate/Mirror About Centre
If checked, Move rotates or mirrors the items about a gridded point at the selection centre. If left unchecked, Rotate and Mirror work like Select Mode and rotate or mirror the items about origin of the picked item.
Show Invisible Attached Tracks/Connections
Switch off tracks and connections and check this box to see just the ones attached to the moving items.
Free Angle Adjoining Segments
Selecting this option causes segments that are adjoining to be free angle when moved as opposed to maintaining their current angle when this switch is not selected. Orthogonal track or schematic connection segments between the moving items and the rest of the design are not maintained.
Preserve Attached Segments
This describes how unselected segments attached to moving selected segments are altered if Free Angle Adjoining Segments is off. If the Preserve Attached Segments option is left unchecked, the attached segments are matched to a segment mode and altered to try and retain that pattern. Check the box to preserve the angle and the far end point of the unselected attached segments. This is usually achieved by changing the length of the selected segment. This mode is best used when editing PCB tracks that contain lots of 45 degree segments.
Constrain Orthogonal Segment
If moving horizontal or vertical shape or track segments, they may be automatically constrained to move perpendicular to their direction. If you do not want this to happen, switch off the Constrain Orthogonal Segment option.
Auto Rotate Bond Pads
When placing bond pads, this Auto Rotate setting is used to determine whether to spin the bond pads so they lie exactly along the wire, or at the nearest 90-degree angle to the wire.
Auto Rotate Components
If snapping a component to a Construction Circle or moving it on a Polar Grid you can check this Auto Rotate option to alter the components rotation to align the component around the circle.
Show Dynamic Connections Only
This option has an effect when moving items attached to nets. Use it to hide all unrouted connections that are not dynamic during the interactive operation. It will only show the dynamic connections if they were already visible. This option is useful in the early stages of layout when there are a lot of connections on the screen, enabling you to just view the connections attached to the component or tracks you are moving.
Always Move All Vias In Composite Span
You can select a single via in a composite layer span using Select Next. This option lets you choose what happens when you move that via. Check the box to force move of all vias in the composite, or leave unchecked to only move the single via and break up the composite.
Other Options Tabs
| General Options: | Design Backups | Display | Edit Shape | File Extensions | Find | Folders | General | In-Place Names | Macros | Multi-Screen | Pan & Zoom | Resolve Net Names | Select | Synchronisation | Tooltips | Warnings |
| PCB Options: | Edit Track | Interaction | Online DRC | Track Length Limits |
| Schematics Options: | Edit Connection | Interaction | Online ERC |
| Footprint Options: | Edit Breakout |